February 13, 2017

Launch NY Newsletter – February 2017

Launch NY
Vital Startup Guidance for Entrepreneurs

Launch NY News & Updates	Upcoming Events
Wendt Foundation Renews Support for Launch NY Launch NY is proud to announce the Margaret L. Wendt Foundation has renewed their support with a $50,000 award to continue to scale up the Launch NY Seed Fund. The Wendt foundation joins our latest round of public-private awards that include U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration and the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation. Read the full press release for additional details. Powerful Co-Investment of $100,000 by Launch NY and Excell Partners Spurs Medical Device Company TenCar Launch NY announced a new investment in TenCar, a women-owned medical device company, in Batavia at a press conference with Excell Partners at the Genesee County Economic Development Center’s Innovation Zone at the MedTech Centre. The funding will support manufacturing and market launch of Tencar’s Choice Cap^TM for colostomy patients while exemplifying a historic co-investment in the region from two women-led organizations in a women-owned business, who represent less than 3% of venture backed companies in the US. Read the full press release for additional details. Are You a Storyteller? Launch NY Is Seeking Freelance Writers to Shine a Light on Our Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Upstate NY is full of inspiring entrepreneurs from main street to high growth businesses. With countless stories just waiting to be told, Launch NY is seeking area freelance writers to help us highlight our startup pioneers. If you are interested in additional information, please fill out our contact form. #LaunchHour: Student Startup Madness: Meet the National University Startup Competitors from Upstate NY Did you know that 6 startups from Upstate NY universities were named to the final 32 of this year’s Student Startup Madness (SSM)? The final “Entrepreneurial Eight” will pitch on March 13 at a live session at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, TX. Our own Upstate NY ecosystem leader, Sean Branagan, Director of the Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship at the S.I. Newhouse School at Syracuse University, started SSM as a nationwide tournament-style competition in 2012. Join us this Wednesday, February 15 for #LaunchHour at noon to hear more from Sean and the companies that will put their pitches and our region on a huge national stage.	February 15, 2017 #LaunchHour: Student Startup Madness: Meet the National University Startup Competitors from Upstate NY 12:00 – 1:00 PM February 15, 2017 MedTech Member MeetUp at AMRI 1:00 – 5:00 PM Albany, NY February 16, 2017 Startup Drinks 7:00 – 9:00 PM Rochester, NY February 21, 2017 Idea Fling 6:30 – 8:30 PM Rochester, NY February 23, 2017 Solutions Forum for NYS Manufacturers 8:30 – 12:00 PM Utica, NY Competition & Funding Deadlines February 28, 2017 Rev Ithaca Hardware Accelerator March 13, 2017 76West Round 2 March 31, 2017 UB CAT RFP

Launch NY Startup Spotlight
SkyOp Congratulations to Launch NY client SkyOp on being named one of the six finalists in the Genius NY Competition! The six finalists will enter the accelerator program in Syracuse, NY, and compete for prizes totaling $2.75M to be announced in March at the live pitch event. SkyOp is an unmanned aerial systems training company. They deliver classes directly and through workforce development partnerships currently at a growing list of 12 community colleges in four states.

#LaunchHour TwitterChat Tips	Launch NY Resources
Can’t make it to all the ecosystem events? Join us monthly online to learn and share and check our archive. January 18, 2017 #LaunchHour: Funding Opportunities for Startups Via Universities & Nonprofits Panelists included: Kim Grant (@COEKimgrant) – NYS Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, Ken Rother (@ken_rother) – Launch NY and Rev Ithaca, Michele van de Walle (@IndustryAtCCMR) – Cornell Center for Materials Research, and Katie Oja (@thetechgarden) – Grants for Growth Q1. What is the goal of your program? A1. CCMR Industrial Partnerships Program mission: advance tech transfer & promote economic development #LaunchHour (@IndustryAtCCMR) A1. The @revIthaca summer hardware accelerator helps teams go from Napkin to Prototype exploring technical and business areas #LaunchHour (@ken_rother) A1. To accelerate the growth of innovative companies in Syracuse and surrounding areas and accelerate private capital investment #LaunchHour (@thetechgarden) A1. The Center supports university-industry collaborations in life sciences research, education and technology transfer #LaunchHour (@COEKimgrant) Q3. What value does a company get from your program? A3. @revIthaca Hardware Accelerator has helped teams focus on areas such as robotics, IOT, power generation, entertainment, drones, and more. #LaunchHour (@ken_rother) A3. Cost effective, fast, and flexible access to innovation through access to world leading materials experts and instruments #LaunchHour (@IndustryAtCCMR) A3. UB CAT makes high-value connections between New York State businesses and R&D resources and expertise available at UB #LaunchHour (@COEKimgrant) A3. We offer 2 funding tracks: a grant for up to $25,000 and a convertible debt note from $75,000 – $100,000 #LaunchHour (@thetechgarden) Looking for more information on these opportunities? CCMR Industrial Partnerships Program – industry@ccmr.cornell.edu Grants for Growth – Syracuse Tech Garden – koja@thetechgarden.com Rev Ithaca Hardware Accelerator – http://revithaca.com/hardware/ University at Buffalo Center for Advanced Biomedical and Bioengineering Technology (UB CAT) – kimgrant@buffalo.edu To read the full transcript from the session click here.	Upstate NY Resource Network Check it out here > Upstate NY Rainforest Canvas Study Check it out here > Upstate NY Ecosystem Map Check it out here > 5 Business Stages – Where are you? Each stage contains critical deliverables for moving forward. Starting with the Explore stage, see where you are on the path to success. Find out here > Entrepreneur Toolkit The toolkit is a set of templates and links designed to help start, launch and grow your business in upstate New York. Check it out here > Is Launch NY a fit for you? Launch NY provides entrepreneurs experienced mentoring using best practice processes and connections to specialized resources both in and beyond the Upstate NY ecosystem.Thus preparing you to compete for and win the funding and additional resources needed to move forward. Apply Now! >

Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) Introduction
Meet Rich Delmerico Fueling his leadership in the 76West Clean Energy Competition that launched in 2016, Brian is a seasoned international energy industry executive with extensive experience in oil, natural gas, chemicals, and renewables in the United States, Asia, and Europe. Brian has a B.S. In Chemical Engineering from Cornell and an MBA in Operations and Finance from the University of Chicago. Brian ran several businesses during a 30 year career in the energy industry and has expertise in operations, strategy, business development, mergers and acquisitions, major project management, corporate governance, and organizational change. Brian recently retired and relocated to Ithaca to build the next phase of his career working with start-ups and tech innovation, with a particular interest in the area of energy and clean tech. Learn more about Brian and our other EIRs by visiting, https://launchny.org/who-we-are/.

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