This is exactly the problem that Averent<\/a>, a social commerce platform designed to help small, independent game developers and their supporters discover and be discovered, is working to address. Co-founded by Pace student Tyler Yeung, who is pursuing his BA in Computer Science<\/a> from Seidenberg, and University of Calgary student Rabi Khan, the company aims to improve indie game discoverability, strengthen creator-audience relationships, and complement trusted platforms such as Steam, itch.io, Discord, and game websites.<\/p>\n One thing Pace has allowed me to do is incorporate my startup directly into my education.<\/p>\n Throughout his time at Pace, Yeung and the team have been building Averent and applying everything they\u2019ve learned into developing the platform. \u201cOne thing Pace has allowed me to do is incorporate my startup directly into my education,\u201d Yeung said. \u201cIn multiple instances, I\u2019ve been able to incorporate Averent directly as part of my coursework, including my Honors Thesis, final projects for multiple software development courses, and working directly with students and faculty, including Dean Chen<\/a> herself, to push Averent forward. Our team is nearly entirely composed of Pace students and alumni, with many faculty serving as direct mentors and advisors.\u201d<\/p>\n Image<\/p>\n The main character from Brennan Moores’ Blitzstrike video game in action<\/p>\n Faculty mentorship has played a crucial role in Averent\u2019s development. \u201cOne of the professors that stood out the most to me was Professor Tom Schmidt,\u201d Yeung added. \u201cI had one of my first-ever classes at Pace with him, discrete math, which is an area I was never very strong in. I was worried this would be a major struggle, but Dr. Schmidt\u2019s teaching motivated me to continue my studies at Seidenberg when I wasn\u2019t too sure about my future in this field.\u201d<\/p>\n Schmidt eventually became Averent\u2019s academic advisor, and as Yeung put it, \u201che was our gateway into most of the great resources that Pace has to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n As Averent developed, Seidenberg students and alumni with different areas of expertise joined the team. Sapna Naidu<\/a> (\u201926), the team\u2019s cybersecurity lead, earned her MS in Cybersecurity<\/a> from Pace and is now a full-time faculty member at Seidenberg. \u201cMy work as a secure full-stack engineer ran alongside my studies and made the coursework click. I could take a concept from class and immediately apply it against real threats and real systems. That loop between classroom and practice is what turned knowledge into instinct,\u201d Naidu said. She added that when she was looking for a cybersecurity program, Seidenberg\u2019s hands-on approach, proximity to industry in New York, and experienced faculty made the difference. \u201cIt felt like a place that would prepare me to actually build and defend systems, not just study them.\u201d<\/p>\n Mentorship by faculty … as well as Pace\u2019s networking events and courses based on industry-level knowledge, were the things that really enhanced my education here and left me feeling prepared for a career.<\/p>\n Sarvesh Shah (MS in Computer Science<\/a> \u201926), the platform\u2019s full-stack cloud engineer, echoed Naidu\u2019s emphasis on faculty mentorship and industry-focused learning as important parts of his Pace experience. \u201cMentorship by faculty like Dr. Scharff<\/a> and Dr. Shan<\/a>, as well as Pace\u2019s networking events and courses based on industry-level knowledge, were the things that really enhanced my education here and left me feeling prepared for a career,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The Averent team recently completed the Spring 2026 Element 46 Tech Accelerator<\/a>, a Westchester-based startup accelerator, where they presented at Demo Day. They have since launched the platform and started testing with active beta users. They\u2019ve also joined forces with the Front Yard at Pace University<\/a>, an entrepreneurial incubator at the Lubin School of Business<\/a>, as a startup in residence. The partnership gives the team another environment to develop Averent while expanding its connections across the University.<\/p>\n Image<\/p>\n For Lizi Imedashvili<\/a> (BS in Information Systems<\/a> \u201926), Averent\u2019s head of growth and business development and a current MS in Data Science<\/a> student, interdisciplinary experiences at Pace led her to the startup. She also serves as a project manager at Blue CoLab, Seidenberg\u2019s program of training, innovation, and research in real-time water monitoring technologies within the Gale Epstein Center for Technology, Policy, and the Environment<\/a>, where she met Yeung and learned about Averent. \u201cJoining the team let me apply what I\u2019ve learned, keep growing my skills, and experience what it\u2019s like to build something in a real startup.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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