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Chrissy Sikes Igniting Ideas Entrepreneur Fall 2023

Chrissy Sikes

Chrissy Sikes is the founder and artist behind Happy Tears Art. Chrissy uses art to express her feelings and bring joy to others. Chrissy is an entrepreneur with aphasia of speech and other developmental disabilities. She is currently creating beautifully colorful soaps and plans to print her art on clothing items too. Happy Tears is more than just soap and prints. It’s a reminder to each customer that someone cares about them. 

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Meet More Synergies Work Entrepreneurs

Smiling man wearing glasses and a suit with a tie, standing outdoors in a suburban neighborhood with houses and green lawns in the background.

Daniel Abadi

Daniel is a voice over artist with a passion for bringing commercials, audio books, and narrations to life using his vocal skills. Daniel has completed the “Such a Voice” voice over program and hopes to expand his business. He has been a part of Synergies Work’s i2i accelerator program and the 2021 Impact grant recipient.   “Thanks to connections through Synergies Work, I have been able to get voiceover projects and grow my business. I am extremely grateful to my mentor.     Daniel’s passion for voice over started when he was young. He would entertain family and friends with play-by-play actions of his favorite sporting events.  Daniel was diagnosed at an early age with autism and thereafter started speech therapy. Over the years, he has been blessed with many therapists of different modalities who helped him overcome his disability. To learn more Daniel visit his website Vivid Vocals VO.   https://vimeo.com/656177017

Person sitting at a desk holding a framed colorful artwork, with drawings and posters visible on the wall behind them.

Peter An

Meet Peter An, an Asian American artist, who brings forth from his autism a unique understanding of life, love, fun and happiness. His visionary use of color and narrative provides a hopeful, refreshing understanding of humanity and the best of what this world has to offer..

Young man with glasses sitting in a wheelchair, wearing a white shirt with a dark jacket draped over his arm, with tall modern columns and a cityscape in the background.

Saif Aslam

Bio:Saif Aslam is a Computer Science student at Georgia Tech from Warner Robins, Georgia, with a knack for spotting problems and building practical solutions. His work ranges from advocating for greater accessibility on campus—resulting in the installation of several permanent wheelchair-accessible desks—to developing an application that earned 2nd place in Georgia Tech’s FAIR Tech competition. He also led the development of his startup’s website. Outside of projects and classes, Saif enjoys writing and wandering through whatever hallways he finds himself in. Description of business:CivicDuty consolidates all official sources of government information, simplifies it so that anyone can understand it, and makes it issue-focused, connecting the politics that people don’t care about to the issues that they do. The end result is a platform where in 3 clicks, users can: 1. Enter your address and see a list of every elected official you can vote for, from the Federal to Municipal level. 2. Select an issue that you care about for a filtered view of officials who’ve done/said something related to it. 3. Choose a politician from the filtered list to learn more about them and their actions around your selected issue. CivicDuty hopes to bridge the barriers between people and politics, so that everyone can feel as though they understand what’s going on in government, and learn why their voice and vote matters. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saifaslam https://www.linkedin.com/company/civicduty

Toyosi Badejo-Okusanya smiles warmly at the camera, wearing a white top, light-wash jeans, and gold earrings against a white background.

Toyosi Badejo-Okusanya

Bio: Toyosi Badejo-Okusanya is a deaf Nigerian technologist, accessibility strategist, and founder of Adaptive Atelier, a consultancy redefining how digital experiences are designed, tested, and experienced by disabled people. With 9+ years across global marketing, e-commerce, and accessibility, she has worked with brands including Estée Lauder/Jo Malone London, MAC Cosmetics UK, Sephora, The Body Shop, Space NK, Channel 4, and the Paralympic Games 2024 — delivering campaigns and inclusive digital experiences rooted in her belief that accessibility is a strategic advantage, not a compliance checkbox. At Adaptive Atelier, Toyosi built tools that pair AI with insights from disabled experts, helping companies resolve accessibility issues with precision while creating paid opportunities for disabled professionals. Her superpower: centering the expertise of the disabled community to make digital spaces genuinely inclusive and usable. She serves on the Advisory Board of SignHealth UK and shares her journey through the series Sound Through My Lens. Her work has been featured in Tech Cabal, Marie Claire Nigeria, and i-D Italy. Split between Lagos and London, Toyosi champions a world where accessibility is a standard, not a favour. Description of business: Adaptive Atelier is an accessibility technology company I founded to help close the gap between the $13 trillion disability market and a digital world where 97% of the internet remains inaccessible. Our products—AdaptiveWiz, AdaptiveTest, and AdaptiveAlly—help businesses build more inclusive digital experiences. AdaptiveAlly also creates paid opportunities for disabled professionals to contribute their expertise. As a deaf founder, I’m building for a community I’ve lived in, not just researched. What sets us apart is that we don’t just design for disabled people—we pay them to help build the future of accessibility. Website: https://www.adaptiveatelier.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toyosi-b-ohttps://www.linkedin.com/company/adaptive-atelier/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toyosialexishttps://www.instagram.com/adaptiveatelier/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/toyosialexis