Like many others during the height of the pandemic, business administration major Olivia Carpenter ’22 spent most of her days at home, attending classes online and biding her time social distancing by trying out cookie recipes. Inspired by the results she was getting and tapping into her entrepreneurial spirit, Olivia submitted a plan for a cookie business during IC Demo Day and landed more than $6,500 to use toward her aspirations.
Olivia’s startup, Via’s Cookies, markets both regular and gluten-free options and sells them at local businesses including GreenStar, IthacaBakery, and the Trumansburg Farmers Market. At IC, Olivia found a community that supports one another and a place where no one has to go it alone.“
Professor Brad Treat has been an amazing help in my journey and actually sits on my advisory board,” said Carpenter.“He was always pushing me to be great and helping me identify areas of weakness, growth, etc. We made business model canvasses, did customer discovery, and much more in his classes. This directly translated to how well I could grow my business.”
Olivia donates 5% of her profits to BIPOC and LGBTQ+ students who are struggling to make ends meet. “I understand the struggle that so many underprivileged students go through, and I want to be able to alleviate at least a little of their pain,” said Carpenter. “The students I’ve donated to are always so grateful, no matter the donation amount, because any help is appreciated when you’re on your own.”