Photo caption:
Antek CEO Anthony Terrinoni and Orthogonal CEO Fox Holt, two clean tech companies pitching at SmartStart 2010.
The 20 companies admitted to this year’s competition included eight from the CenterState NY region:
- Antek
- Brand Yourself.com
- Earthsense
- Floodwatch
- Orthogonal
- Propulsive Wing
- Sound Reading Solutions
- Symphony Video
Coordinated by the Albany-based Center for Economic Growth, the welcoming sponsors for the event were the CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity, The Tech Garden, The Clean Tech Center and SATOP. CenterState CEO Chairperson Susan Crossett, Vice President of Energy Services for National Grid, delivered opening remarks, noting that the Upstate New York region has begun to earn national recognition as an innovation cluster.
“Syracuse was pleased to host this 10th annual venture forum, which is the premier venue matching emerging business ideas and talent with potential investors,” said Linda Hartsock, Vice President of Innovation and Technology for the CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity. “The Tech Garden’s partnership with SmartStart UNYTECH and the CEG is helping build an innovation infrastructure across Upstate New York that is launching new technologies and businesses. We are especially proud of the five area companies who were competitively selected to be showcased at this year’s event.”
SmartStart UNYTECH is Upstate’s foremost venture forum to highlight the best early stage companies to investors. Since its inception, 220 high-quality companies have presented and 62 have raised over $390 M in equity financing, including over $71 M directly attributable to their participation in the forum.
“This year’s field of companies is as strong as ever and represents a wide range of market opportunities, from biotech to IT to security to even construction technology, “ said Peter Pritchard, Director of Venture Programs at the Center for Economic Growth and the forum’s coordinator. “The strength of the state’s research is reflected in these companies and we are excited about giving them exposure to the investment community,” he added.
“Supporting high growth companies is important for the Tech Valley region, as well as across the state. Through regional collaboration we are able to showcase the best and brightest of New York State to the investment community. The Center or Economic Growth is honored and privileged to play a key role in presenting this forum,” concluded F. Michael Tucker, President and CEO of the Center for Economic Growth.
About UNYTECH:
UNYTECH is a collaborative effort among leading research institutions in the Upstate New York region including Alfred University, Binghamton University, Cornell University, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, State University of New York, University at Albany, University at Buffalo, and University of Rochester, and regional economic development agencies and venture capital firms., Universities in Upstate New York contribute immensely to the intellectual capital and high technology economy of the region. The eleven participating universities together have research and development expenditures over $1 billion. Research carried out within these universities translates into commercially viable products and services.
