Students in a Syracuse iSchool graduate course will carry out the University’s vision statement “scholarship in action” by partnering with a Silicon Valley media company to perform valuable market research.
The course IST 626 Business Information Resources and Strategic Intelligence will spend the fall semester helping AlwaysOn gather primary and secondary information on the company’s acclaimed AlwaysOn Global 250 for its new social networking site geared toward entrepreneurs and venture capitalists.
“With this partnership, students at Syracuse University will have inside information into technology startup companies that no other institution or investor will have,” said Bruce Kingma, SU’s associate provost for entrepreneurship and innovation. “Angel and venture capitalist investors will be looking at Syracuse University as a model of how to investigate new ventures for seed funding.”
AlwaysOn, a California-based media company started in 2003, was one of the first media research companies to borrow from early blogging practices and create an open and interactive Internet dialogue about startups, especially those in high-growth technology industries. Today, the company is well-known for its online network of content, summits, and lists on venture capital, entrepreneurship, innovation, sustainable business, and media.
“Since AlwaysOn focuses on relatively new companies, the students won’t be able to rely solely on traditional databases to find information,” said Jill Hurst-Wahl, iSchool professor of practice and instructor for the course. “They’ll be searching newspapers, magazines, and also social media sources, like blogs, for information. In addition, they will need to interview company CEOs and founders to gather information right from the source.” Students will need to consider what information the companies want to share as well as the information that potential partners and investors need to begin the vetting process with a startup.”
IST 626 (course number 29155) is a three-credit course that will meet Wednesdays in 111 Hinds Hall from 2:15 to 5 p.m. this fall. AlwaysOn Founder Tony Perkins and its
President and Chief Operating Officer Marc Sternberg are scheduled to come to Syracuse during the fall to meet with the class and discuss the information needs of the business community.
To learn more about AlwaysOn, visit http://www.aonetwork.com/.