A dynamic SUNY Oswego conference on “The Entrepreneurial Mindset: A Business and STEM Collaboration” welcomed a keynote from a successful alumnus, insights from industry leaders, information on funding ideas and more to the Sheldon Hall ballroom on Oct. 23.

Made possible by a National Science Foundation Enabling Partners to Increase Innovation Capacity grant, the conference featured a keynote by entrepreneur and Oswego alumnus Joe Kinsella, whose startups included the very successful CloudHealth Technologies.

“That was a company that I grew from one person to over 500 people, delivered products to over 8,000 customers around the globe and then transformed the lives of my talented team by selling the business of 2018,” Kinsella recalled. Yet when he initially pitched the idea to people in the industry, he was repeatedly told it was a bad idea –- which tied into his themes about resilience, risk-taking and commitment to pursuing solutions.

Earning his degree in computer science in 1991, Kinsella recalled “I wasn't special when I was an undergraduate at Oswego in the late 1980s and early 1990s.” But he picked up lessons from professors, peers and experiences that served him well in the decades to come.

“I just had the privilege of learning very early in my career a way of thinking, a mindset, the entrepreneurial mindset, and I decided to commit my career to that mindset and then surrounding myself with people about the same one,” Kinsella said.

Kinsella defined seven traits as critical to having an entrepreneurial mindset:

  • Desire to create change
  • Willingness to take risks / accept failure
  • Commitment to pursue a solution
  • Acceptance of ownership
  • Bias toward action
  • Resourcefulness
  • Resilience and persistence

“Entrepreneurs have cured diseases and reinvented industries and created opportunities where we didn't know there were opportunities before,” Kinsella said. “They've expanded the economy and, maybe more importantly, they've expanded what's possible.” 

Kinsella emphasized that he learned not only from his successes but from his failures, which often provided opportunities to gain wisdom. He also told of the importance of honesty and transparency in successful client and customer relationships.

“Entrepreneurs have a commitment to passionately pursue a change,” Kinsella said. "Ideas are everywhere; it’s a commitment to solve a problem that separates those who are able to drive change.”

Day of learning, connecting

This day of learning also featured an industry panel discussion offering insights into workforce needs, partnership models and what makes university-industry collaboration successful. 

Moderated by Kristi Eck, SUNY Oswego’s assistant vice president for workforce innovation and external relations, the panel included insights from Kinsella; Kathi Durdon, executive director for the Upstate Medical Biotechnology Accelerator; Maria Hudson, manager of local government affairs for Constellation Energy; Brandon Mastrangelo, in-house business advisor at the Inspyre Innovation Hub by CenterState SEO; Joe Nehme, senior manager for external affairs for Micron Technology; and Austin Wheelock, executive director for Operation Oswego County, Inc.

"This conference served as a dynamic sandbox for collaboration, where students, faculty, and industry leaders came together to forge new relationships and deepen existing ones all in pursuit of solving the most pressing challenges of our time," said Kristen Eichhorn, interim dean of the College of College of Business and Entrepreneurship and dean of Graduate Studies.

"In addition to SUNY Oswego faculty, Maureen Melville, director of the Center for Business Excellence and Transformation, played a pivotal leadership role in bringing this conference to life," Eichhorn explained. "Housed within the College of Business and Entrepreneurship, the center’s mission is to connect students, faculty and external partners across disciplines to co-create innovative solutions that strengthen our local economy."

A Faculty and Staff Spotlight roundtable discussion featured the innovative work of faculty researchers looking to commercialize, expand and design new curriculum and projects. This session showcased research and experiences from areas including atmospheric and geological sciences, biology, business, chemistry, and physics and astronomy.

William Bowers, SUNY Oswego’s associate provost for research development and administration, closed the day by highlighting ongoing support and resources available from the university’s Office of Research and Sponsored Program and from the SUNY Research Foundation.

The National Science Foundation grant, a rare achievement for a business school in a comprehensive public university, is a collaboration between SUNY Oswego’s College of Business and Entrepreneurship (COBE) and the College of Liberal Arts, Sciences and Engineering (CLASE). The main collaborators on obtaining that grant included Michele Thornton and Mohammad Tajvarpour from COBE and Mohammad Islam and Hui Zhang from CLASE, along with previous business dean Prabakar Kothandaraman.

In opening remarks, SUNY Oswego President Peter O. Nwosu hailed the work across the university for obtaining the competitive federal grant, staging this conference and developing other collaborations to benefit students, communities and the regional economy.

“Together we are building not just an economy but a future –- one driven by imagination, innovation and the unstoppable spirit of progress,” President Nwosu said. 

“As we celebrate this inaugural conference, let us also celebrate what it represents –- the spirit of possibility,” President Nwosu noted. “Together we are all building a SUNY Oswego that stands as a hub of innovation and a model of what it means to be entrepreneurial minded. Where business and STEM unite to turn ideas into impact, and vision into reality.”