Student Entrepreneurs Launch New Round of Ventures through Suffolk Crowdfunding Course

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Dec 13, 2017, 07:35 ET

BOSTON, Dec. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Jewelry made from reclaimed marble, a modern twist on the traditional hookah bowl and baseball bats repurposed into barware are three of the latest Suffolk University student-run ventures that launched on Dec. 6. Rounding out this semester's projects are two social ventures, both of which provide support for the people of Haiti.

Suffolk University Professor Jenni Dinger (second from left) and Professor Chaim Letwin (far right) pose with Marbre by SJ founders Kristy Fitzpatrick and Shireen Jan. Marbre by SJ is a Boston-based startup that repurposes reclaimed marble to create minimalist-style jewelry. Their Indiegogo campaign has raised 42% of its $5000 goal in its first week. You can find it at http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/marbre-by-sj-unique/.

Sawed-Off Souvenirs is a new venture by Suffolk University student Greg Speliotis. Speliotis is launching a business in Boston that repurposes broken and used wooden baseball bats into barware, such as coasters, shot glasses, scotch glasses and beer mugs. Please visit his campaign at http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sawed-off-souvenirs-sports/. Speliotis has raised nearly 25% of his $5500 goal in the first week.

Suffolk's Sawyer Business School introduced one of the nation's first experiential courses on crowdfunding in fall 2016, where students launched campaigns to fund their own startup companies through Indiegogo. The acclaimed course is now in its third semester. Management and Entrepreneurship Professors Jenni Dinger and Chaim Letwin continue to co-teach the course, leveraging their backgrounds in retail and law, respectfully.

"Crowdfunding continues to enjoy tremendous growth worldwide," said Dinger. "Given that crowdfunding is still a relatively young capital source we are continuously learning what works and what doesn't. What has not changed is that the process of creating and preparing a campaign acts as an accelerator of sorts, prodding nascent entrepreneurs to take action."

This semester's ventures include:

Marbre by SJ, founded by Suffolk junior Shereen Jan in partnership with Suffolk junior Kristy Fitzgerald, is a minimalist jewelry line that incorporates reclaimed marble into precious metal pieces. Jan is an entrepreneurship major from Manama, Bahrain.
Sadiq Smoke, founded by Suffolk junior Kamraan Sadiq, is a silicone-insulated hookah bowl with wind guard. This innovative design alleviates the dangers and insurance liabilities that come with using exposed charcoals to light hookah tobacco. Sadiq is an entrepreneurship student from Cranston, RI.
Sawed-Off Souvenirs, founded by Suffolk senior Greg Speliotis, creates a variety of cups and barware for sports fanatics made from broken bats. The current assortment includes shot glasses, scotch glasses, mugs and coasters. Speliotis is an entrepreneurship major from Salem, Mass.
Happy Homes, founded by Suffolk seniors and entrepreneurship majors Nick Kellicker and Rafic Korban, is a social venture aimed at providing affordable and sustainable housing for the people in Haiti. Kellicker lives in Upton, Mass, and Korban is from Beirut, Lebanon.
Dentists for Humanity is a Cambridge-based health care non-profit focused on providing dental care to underprivileged communities around the world and mentorship to dental students. Alex Adamakis, a Suffolk entrepreneurship senior from Athens, Greece.

More information on student startup businesses and crowdfunding campaigns from earlier this year can be found at http://www.suffolk.edu/business/undergraduate/75199.php

For more information, please contact:
Greg Gatlin: 617-573-8428, [email protected]

SOURCE Suffolk University