Icon Pro Solutions CEO Waqar Hussain took Iconnic.Cloud, the managed cloud platform Icon Pro Solutions built, through Syracuse University’s startup ecosystem while completing his MBA at the Whitman School. Over three years, separate Syracuse programs gave it prize money, a grant and a stage.
Icon Pro Solutions came first: the company existed before Waqar started at Syracuse. What the university’s programs supported was Iconnic.Cloud.
What Syracuse University’s Startup Ecosystem Offers
Blackstone LaunchPad, based in Bird Library, “serves as the University’s entrepreneurship and innovation hub.” It connects students to networks of alumni entrepreneurs, company founders, subject matter experts and venture partners.
The Couri Hatchery at the Whitman School is open to founders from every school and college. It provides mentorship, workspace and funding opportunities, with more than 150 mentors and about $250,000 a year in funding through university-wide pitch competitions and grants.
Syracuse University Libraries runs the Orange Innovation Fund, a grant program that moves student projects from ideation to proof of concept to commercialization. Iconnic.Cloud received one of its grants in Fall 2024: read about the Orange Innovation Fund grant.
Iconnic.Cloud’s Results in the Startup Ecosystem
- 2023 ’Cuse Tank: first place
- 2024 Raymond von Dran iPrize: one of ten winners, $2,000
- 2024 ’Cuse Tank: first place (tied), $10,000
- Fall 2024 Orange Innovation Fund: $5,000 grant, one of seven recipients
- 2024 Panasci Business Plan Competition: second place, $7,500
- 2025 Panasci Business Plan Competition: second place, $7,500
- 2025 Hunter Brooks Watson Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award: $2,000
Each was a separate program with its own selection. Read the story of the 2025 Panasci Competition result.
What the Competitions Taught Him
In a February 2024 Syracuse University profile, Waqar said the experience “allows grad students to start building while they’re studying.” The programs, he said, “help you think more holistically when you’re competing,” covering everything “from writing to pitching to financing.”
“You find there’s a whole world of things you can put into practice to build your real-world skills,” he added. After his first ’Cuse Tank win, he said he would use the prize to fund product development, improved technology, automation, marketing and the infrastructure and operations teams.
Giving Back to the Startup Ecosystem
Waqar now mentors student founders at the Couri Hatchery. He also speaks at pitch events and workshops, passing on what the competitions taught him.
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, where he concentrated in entrepreneurship and marketing. Read more about Icon Pro Solutions, or see the company’s awards and recognition.
FAQ: Syracuse University’s Startup Ecosystem and Iconnic.Cloud
What is Blackstone LaunchPad?
Syracuse University’s entrepreneurship and innovation hub, based in Bird Library, connecting students with alumni entrepreneurs, company founders, subject matter experts and venture partners.
What is the Couri Hatchery?
A co-working space and mentorship program at the Whitman School, open to founders from every school and college, with more than 150 mentors.
What has Iconnic.Cloud won at Syracuse University?
First place at ’Cuse Tank in 2023 and 2024 ($10,000 in 2024), a $5,000 Orange Innovation Fund grant in Fall 2024, and second place ($7,500) at the Panasci Competition in 2024 and 2025. Waqar also won a 2024 Raymond von Dran iPrize and a 2025 Hunter Brooks Watson Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award.
Does Waqar Hussain mentor at Syracuse?
Yes. He mentors student founders at the Couri Hatchery and speaks at pitch events and workshops.
