Syracuse University’s Blackstone LaunchPad student start-ups Tá Beautie and Shooka Sauce have made it to the finals of the New York Business Plan Competition (NYBPC), held in Albany on April 25. The competition, powered by Upstate Capital, attracted some of New York state’s best student entrepreneurs, providing them with the opportunity to pitch their business plans to seasoned investors and engage with mentors and judges from the business community.

Motolani Oladitan ’24, founder of Tá Beautie, won the Concept Stage Award of $500 in the software and services track. Meanwhile, Natasha Brao ’22 G’23 G’24 won the 3rd place prize of $1,000 in the food and agriculture track with Shooka Sauce, a Mediterranean-spiced tomato sauce inspired by cultural flavors.

Three other LaunchPad student start-up teams also reached the finals: Frank Marin ’24 with Marhold Space Systems, Adya Parida ’25 with Scale Sense, and Dylan Bardsley ’26 and Mark Leaf ’27 with Clarity. The NYBPC is known for providing experiential learning opportunities through competitions and connecting entrepreneurs with resources at the Entrepreneurship Expo. Up to $100,000 in cash prizes are awarded to help seed new ventures emerging from the competition.