Liala Cryer

• Founded a sports equipment startup focused on anatomically tailored ice hockey gear for female athletes

• Secured $16K in prize funding through investor-judged state competitions, including 1st Place NYBPC Products & Hardware, 1st Place NYBPC Capital Region, and 3rd Place Kenneth A. Freirich Entrepreneurship Competition

• Lead venture execution including customer discovery (70+ interviews), prototyping, branding, business strategy, and pitch development with Canva

• Built and manage a cross-functional founding team, aligning strategy across finance, engineering, and branding

• Selected for competitive hardware accelerator programs supporting early stage startups

• Advanced Polar Athletics from concept-stage ideas toward a manufacturable prototype, clarifying product requirements, feasibility constraints, and pilot testing criteria

• Translated customer discovery insights into actionable product requirements and design decisions, bridging athlete needs with engineering and manufacturing constraints

• Oversaw daily rink and pool operations including admissions and customer service in a high-traffic public sport venue

• Provided on-ice safety monitoring and first response to injuries during public skating sessions

• Coached youth and adults in technical skill development and game fundamentals of tennis

• Coach students on competition expectations, venture positioning, and pitch preparation
• Led team outreach (mentor touchpoints, scheduling, reminders) to keep teams on track for key milestones and Finals

Manage team finances including budgeting and payments for league fees, practices, and games

Captain both junior and senior years. Assisted coach with communications, team building, and event planning. Created and led Zoom off-ice team training sessions and workouts to prepare for the season during COVID social distancing restrictions.

Received the following awards: ESPN Ithaca’s Female Senior Leadership Award & Girls Hockey Player of the Year (2022); NYS Section IV “Character Counts” Recognition Award (2022)

Assisted coach with communications, team building, and event planning

Coached and mentored younger age group hockey teams in my club hockey organization, motivated by my interest in encouraging young girls to stay in hockey

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

Major: Management and Business | Minor: Entrepreneurship

Relevant Coursework & Highlights:

• Foundations of Finance: Built an equity valuation using financial statement analysis and environmental risk considerations

• Entrepreneurship Experience: Led a venture team through ideation, prototyping, business strategy, and pitch development

• Brand & Market Communications: Completed two brand consulting engagements; developed and pitched market positioning strategies for local business founder and Skidmore College’s Marketing Department—strategies currently being implemented

• Coaching, Mentoring, and Teamwork: Coached a team of undergraduate students in developing a multi-year growth strategy for a Fortune 500 media company, focused on revenue expansion and strategic positioning

• Current Semester Courses: Business Strategy, Digital Foundations

Activities: Club Ice Hockey, Treasurer/Player; Kenneth A. Freirich Entrepreneurship Competition, Student Mentor/Competitor; Women in Business Club member

Research & Publication: Research contributor, peer-reviewed study published in Nutrients (2024) on metabolic syndrome risk in Division III female athletes; supported data collection

Read the study →