Just in time for the start of a new school year, two young entrepreneurs are working to help fellow college students stay organized with Syl.
The calendar service, which converts class syllabi into detailed calendars and weekly to-do lists, launched this winter and has served more than 200 students at 30 universities.
The momentum of the service’s growth impressed judges at UGA Entrepreneurship’s Summer Launch pitch contest on Aug. 7. They awarded May 2025 management graduate Maahir Murad and management information systems senior Huzaifah Malik the $5,000 prize to supercharge their marketing efforts.
“I totally would have been your customer in college,” said Summer Launch judge Reid Finnegan (BBA ’23), founder of Sunroof Coffee. “You found an interesting hole in the market, and no one else is doing this.”
In addition to Finnegan, judges included Joe Tomco, serial entrepreneur and owner of the Athens Pool and Spa, Winterville mayor and Athens Development Authority member Dodd Ferrelle, and Agora Vintage founder and 10-time Bulldog 100 honoree Airee Edwards.
Summer Launch is the culmination of UGA Entrepreneurship’s yearlong multi-tier approach to fostering and developing student businesses. Since 2016, nearly 1,000 student startups have participated in UGA Entrepreneurship business accelerators, and 60 teams completed the Summer Launch capstone.
As part of Summer Launch, each team receives $5,000 in seed funding and one-on-one guidance to get them to where they are bringing in revenue.
In addition to Syl, judges recognized The Girls’ Trip Co., founded by recent UGA journalism graduate Kelsie Pearson, with second place. Medical device startup Senior Shield, launched by recent Georgia Tech mechanical engineering graduate Kareem Elfoulie, earned third place.
Other finalists presenting at the pitch contest include FarmTurn, a farm consultancy turned drone photography service created by UGA animal science graduate student Raine Cox, and Nahren, a grocery price comparison app created by MIS and finance student Andrew Sharpe.
The Entrepreneurship Program is a comprehensive academic program that encompasses experiential learning and equips students with the tools and resources to pursue startup ventures.