By: Lexie Newhouse
February 21, 2018 marked the official grand opening of LaunchGSU. With more than 60 members from all majors across Georgia State, this incubator will contribute to fostering an entrepreneurial and innovative culture across campus.
The grand opening featured student startups and organizations including Salt, SoundCollide, BitCraft, Collegiate Entertainers Group, and Panther Hackers.
Established in 2017, Salt is introducing a “new wave of creative visuals” to Atlanta. Representing Salt was Lawrence Chen, Allen Nguyen, Jordan Li, and Forrest Wong as they shared their artistic mission as an “art collective” before President Becker and other LaunchGSU visitors.
SoundCollide is an online recording studio that allows users to discover new artists, record, and collaborate live remotely from two different locations. Robert Hatcher serves as the Chief Executive Officer, and London Balbosa serves as the Chief Marketing Officer. Last semester, Hatcher placed first at SharedSpace Cobb’s Collaborate and Compete Pitch Competition.
BitCraft was co-founded by Harsha Goli, Luis Ferrer, Caleb Lewis, Zach Bloomquist, and Sri Rajasekaran. From “design” to “deployment,” BitCraft provides blockchain consulting and development services. Their commitment to customers’ success in cryptocurrency markets continues to drive innovation when exploring new and emerging privacy technologies.
Collegiate Entertainers Group was another student organization representing at the grand opening. Co-founders Derek Jackson and Xavier Jones wanted to create an ecosystem that emulated the entertainment industry through fostering creativity and professionalism. From music producers to DJs and artists, they’re committed to pooling talent while preparing students for the workforce.
With over 200 members and nine different interest groups, Panther Hackers is devoted to equipping students with the coding knowledge to succeed. From hackathons to conferences, Panther Hackers hosts a variety of campus events for students. Currently Braxton McLean serves as the Chief Executive Officer, Jennifer Ly as the Chief Operating Officer, Leo Ceron as the Chief Marketing Officer, and Brian Cabigon as the Chief Technical Officer.
Interested in learning more about LaunchGSU and other Georgia State entrepreneurship activities? Visit http://launch.gsu.edu and http://eni.gsu.edu for information and updates!
