The Google search engine revolutionized the way people find content online. Millions of doors to new content were created and thrown open all at once. Launch.It aims to be the Google for new business ventures and has launched more than 2,000 ideas in only three months.

Trace Cohen, a 2010 alumnus who double majored in entrepreneurship and marketing, and minored in information technology, is one of the site’s co-founders. He’s increased the site’s presence by meeting with almost every major peer agency in New York City and the West Coast, and attending numerous conferences and business expos.

“We want to almost democratize news,” Cohen said. “To ensure that everything new, not just what the media can cover, is open to the public.”

Cohen’s time at Syracuse University let him put his natural determination to good use while gathering all the experience he needed.

In his sophomore year, he and his roommate launched their first site, BrandYourself. This was a do-it-yourself service for improving Google search results, so students who had good work histories could make themselves easier for others to discover.

Cohen also put plenty of effort into making sure he took the right classes. While attending the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, he petitioned around introductory courses he felt were unnecessary. He also took classes that added credits to his information and technology minor so his schedule wasn’t overloaded.

“If you’re not seeking a double major, I don’t know if you’re really using your time wisely,” Cohen said.

What gave Cohen the best experience, though, was being part of the Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) learning community for his freshman and sophomore years. Cohen said that experience was unparalleled to any other class he had taken.

“When you’re an entrepreneur, passion definitely goes throughout your entire life,” Cohen said. “It becomes your life.”

Cohen said his motivation to be his own boss came from his father, who said that working for someone else was a fate he should try to avoid at any cost.

Now, Cohen is working with his father on Launch.It. Both of them are on the right path to achieve this goal as their careers continue.

Said Cohen: “You always want to be in control, you always want to be leading your own destiny. Build it, become an expert and then pursue it.”

Published on September 10, 2012 at 12:08 am

Contact Max: meantonu@syr.edu