Icon Pro Solutions CEO Waqar Hussain led Iconnic.Cloud to second place at the 2025 Panasci Competition, Syracuse University’s business plan competition, winning a $7,500 prize. The competition was held on April 4, 2025, in Flaum Grand Hall at the Martin J. Whitman School of Management.
It was the second year in a row that Iconnic.Cloud finished second at the Panasci Competition, after the same $7,500 award in 2024. Syracuse University announced the 2025 results on April 14, 2025.
What Is the Panasci Competition?
The Panasci Business Plan Competition rewards emerging entrepreneurs at Syracuse University. It is hosted by the Whitman School’s Department of Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises and awards $40,000 in prize money.
The competition is made possible by contributions honoring Henry A. Panasci, the founder of Fay’s Drugs. The prize money is shared among the top finishers.
Iconnic.Cloud’s Second Place at the 2025 Panasci Competition
Iconnic.Cloud took second place and $7,500 in 2025, the same placing and prize it earned in 2024. The award came with a second-place plaque and a presentation check made out to Iconnic Cloud.
Two second-place finishes in consecutive years put Iconnic.Cloud among the leading ventures at the Panasci Competition in both 2024 and 2025.
What Is Iconnic.Cloud?
Iconnic.Cloud was built by Icon Pro Solutions as a managed cloud platform. Syracuse University described it as a managed cloud service platform that simplifies deploying and managing web applications and software across major cloud providers.
Its 2024 Panasci profile described a cloud management solution for small and mid-sized businesses that want to grow. It let them move business and web solutions to the cloud and deploy and scale digital products with the cloud provider of their choice, without hiring a dedicated system administrator.
Earlier Recognition at ’Cuse Tank
The Panasci result followed Iconnic.Cloud’s wins at ’Cuse Tank, a separate competition run by the Blackstone LaunchPad at Syracuse University Libraries. In 2024, Iconnic.Cloud tied for first place and won $10,000, its second first-place finish in a row.
Iconnic.Cloud at Syracuse University: The Results
- 2025 Hunter Brooks Watson Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award: $2,000
- 2025 Panasci Business Plan Competition: second place, $7,500
- Fall 2024 Orange Innovation Fund: $5,000 grant, one of seven recipients
- 2024 Panasci Business Plan Competition: second place, $7,500
- 2024 ’Cuse Tank: first place (tied), $10,000
- 2024 Raymond von Dran iPrize: one of ten winners, $2,000
- 2023 ’Cuse Tank: first place
About Waqar Hussain
Waqar Hussain is the CEO of Icon Pro Solutions and the founder of Iconnic.Cloud. He is a member of the Whitman School’s MBA Class of 2025.
See more of the company’s awards and recognition, or read about Icon Pro Solutions.
FAQ: The Panasci Competition and Iconnic.Cloud
What did Iconnic.Cloud win at the 2025 Panasci Competition?
Second place and a $7,500 prize, awarded on April 4, 2025, at Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management.
What is the Panasci Business Plan Competition?
A Syracuse University business plan competition hosted by the Whitman School’s Department of Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises, with $40,000 in prize money.
What is Iconnic.Cloud?
A managed cloud platform that Icon Pro Solutions built to make deploying and managing web applications and software on major cloud providers simpler.
Who is Waqar Hussain?
The CEO of Icon Pro Solutions and the founder of Iconnic.Cloud, from the Whitman School’s MBA Class of 2025.
Has Iconnic.Cloud won other competitions?
Yes. It placed second at the Panasci Competition in 2024, won first place at ’Cuse Tank in 2023 and 2024, and received a $5,000 Orange Innovation Fund grant in Fall 2024. Waqar also won a 2024 Raymond von Dran iPrize and a 2025 Hunter Brooks Watson Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award.
