Deep in the dorms of universities across the world are students either thinking about or working on building a company. One such student, AJ Damiano, started his company, PowerSpike, from his dorm room at Syracuse University back in 2014, while beginning his freshman year studies in Marketing and Entrepreneurship. One month after graduating, PowerSpike has now been accepted into the prestigious TechStars program.
When I first learned of Dr. Carmen, he was described to me as a psychology engineer. Considering that in his academic career he first pursued engineering and later switched to psychology, this is a very accurate description. Both pursuits collided with the invention of his Passive Infrared Hemoencephalography (pirHEG) neurofeedback system.
At the 2017 Upstate Unleashed Conference, Upstate Venture Connect featured the leaders of Upstate New York’s $1M+ innovation competitions – GENIUS NY, Luminate, 43North, and 76West – on the Upstate NY Rewards Innovation Panel. One year later, we caught up with the leaders of each competition to learn the latest on their programs and see the progress the winners have made over the last year.
Hundreds gathered in the Persian Terrace of the Marriott Syracuse Downtown hotel to watch the six finalists of The Tech Garden’s second GENIUS NY unmanned systems accelerator pitch for the top $1 million prize.
Adam Milam is the Founder and CEO of Heliohex, a horticulture LED-lighting technology company based out of The Tech Garden in Syracuse NY. One of the most interesting and impactful aspects of this entrepreneur’s journey has been his relationship with Cornell University. In Spring 2017, Adam was chosen for the Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR) JumpStart Award Program.
Carlos Suarez, founder and CEO of Truxx, appeared on Steve Harvey’s new reality show, Funderdome. Suarez won $15,000 for his startup that helps people find “your buddy with a truck.” Truxx is now raising a $1 million seed round. Here’s how Suarez came up with the idea, and his plans for the future.
This year, the University of San Diego’s Center for Peace and Commerce is bringing together universities and colleges from around the world to participate in this year’s Global Social Innovation Challenge (Global SIC). Syracuse University is onboard. Who’s next? Deadline October 31.
The Innovation Connectors group in Syracuse, NY is a new collaborative initiative among the organizations in central New York with a mission is to support, engage, and connect CNY’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The groups first event – The Funding Roadmap – was a sold out success!
Syracuse has a long way to go, but I believe in its potential to be a creative destination and leader in supporting and leveraging its creative ecosystem.
