By: J.D. Ross
(315) 443-3094
School of Information Studies (iSchool) junior Daniel Goldberg and his startup, Golden Gear, have been recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of America’s Coolest College Startups for 2014.
In its sixth year of ranking college startup initiatives, Inc. selected 16 startups from a list of over 100 contenders.
“These 16 companies are the cream of the college entrepreneurship crop,” reads the Inc. article. “Their ideas span a variety of industries, from mobile applications to subscription boxes and cosmetic-product makers.”
The winners were selected on the basis of factors that included originality, pitch, and growth potential.
Golden Gear produces a line of hand-crafted protective athletic gear for martial arts fighting. The company offers products like shin pads, head gear and gloves, and sells in more than 20 retail stores and gym pro shops; on eight online sites, as well as their own website; and direct to several gyms.
Goldberg was a participant in the 2013 summer class at the Syracuse Student Sandbox incubator.
In addition to being named to Inc.’s list, Golden Gear has also been entered into Inc.’s College Startup March Madness competition. Similar to basketball tournament brackets, the startups have been arranged into a bracket, with open voting for four rounds. First round voting began yesterday. Subsequent rounds will start weekly on Mondays through early April, and the championship match will take place on April 7, with the winner announced on April 8.
The winning team will receive free tickets to Inc.'s 2014 GrowCo conference in Nashville, Tennessee in May, where billionaire investor and Shark Tank judge Mark Cuban will keynote.