10/30/2026
Two SUNY Cortland entrepreneurship minors recently took their ideas to the Big Apple as part of a select group of college entrepreneurs.
Juniors Ryan Craig and Bryan Sredniawski, also each business economics majors, were chosen to be part of the regional top 10 for the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA). They pitched their startups to members of Entrepreneurs’ Organization New York (EO New York), part of a peer-to-peer global network that serves as a resource for founder entrepreneurs and business owners.
Each presentation to the Manhattan-based group was a chance to be the state’s top student founder of 2026, take home $2,500 and earn a spot in the GSEA’s national finals.
The contest is for university and college students who own and operate a business while attending school. Since 1998, the competition has supported those student entrepreneurs with mentorship, recognition and connections that help further grow their startups.
Students made the trip for an opportunity to learn from and connect with established EO business owners with an estimated collective $970 million in annual sales and more than 12,500 employees.
The competitors represented schools including New York University and the Ivy League’s University of Pennsylvania. SUNY Cortland was the only institution to have multiple students participate.
Cortland College Foundation board member Debbie Kiederer ’83, is regional chair and president mentor at EO New York, and shared the opportunity with the university’s Economics Department. As the founder of ChalkDust Consulting she was also Craig's mentor during the event.
"Without Debbie taking the time to sit with me and help prepare me, I don't think I could have walked in there feeling as ready or as confident," Craig said.
He and Sredniawski are interns for Kathleen Burke, SUNY distinguished teaching professor of economics, at Cortland’s planned Entrepreneurship Center.
“The competition was not just about their business venture but about having an entrepreneurial mindset and balancing venture creation while being a student,” Burke said.
Sredniawski’s ShredAir is a concept for a self-cleaning fan that already was rated among the top ideas at SUNY Cortland’s annual Innovation Day.
Craig’s NextLife, a service that sorts collected junk for donation, recycling or scrap, has earned distinction at the New York Business Plan Competition.
“Overall, the entire experience was both fun and incredibly valuable,” said Sredniawski. “I walked away with new connections, fresh perspectives on my business and even more motivation to continue developing ShredAir. I’m extremely grateful to everyone who helped make this opportunity possible.”
Though they did not win the competition, the networking with EO members and feedback from the judges made it a valuable experience for the Cortland students with lessons they can bring back to campus and use to hone their business plans further.
“I had some great conversations afterward and made connections that I hope to continue building on,” said Sredniawski, who worked directly with Priyanka Nishar, founder of Azent Overseas Education, to help shape his presentation.
“The other student entrepreneurs were also incredibly friendly, and it was exciting to meet people my age who share a similar passion for entrepreneurship.”