Summer is for Acceleration
Hot on the heels of Spring's amazing array of business plan competitions comes this summer's crop of accelerators providing selected startup teams with the mentorship and advice needed to take their business to the next level.
StartFast, officially opened its doors on May 14 and since then, a steady stream of mentors from across the region and around the country have made their way to Syracuse to meet the teams. The program has generated plenty of publicity for the teams and everyone is now focused on Demo Day August 16. Chuck and Nasir are also keeping a weekly blog for those interested in following the teams' progress.
The Syracuse Student Sandbox (now in its fourth year under the superb leadership of John Liddy) also launched with thirty or so startup teams from multiple universities and colleges across Upstate NY. You can follow the goings on via Twitter (@studentsandbox).
In a sure sign that accelerator fever is spreading across the region, new programs are also under way in Ithaca (Cornell) and Rochester (RIT). Stay tuned for more info in future newsletters.
--The UVC Team
2012 Venture Forum A Regional Success
The 2012 Venture Forum, jointly hosted by the Center for Economic Growth and Bright Buffalo Niagara, concluded May 18 in Buffalo. As always, the event was well attended by investors and entrepreneurs from across the state as well as Ohio, Pennsylvania and Ontario. Most of all, the venture forum showed how cross regional collaboration can help build critical mass. Congratulations to the organizers!
June Entrepreneur Spotlight
Tom Schryver
Ithaca, NY
Tom is a Cornell alumnus and serial entrepreneur ( Novomer, Mezmeriz, E2e Materials, PI Experiential Learning). He teaches entrepreneurship at Ithaca College and is a mentor for StartFast. Tom leads Launch NY, a 27-county venture development organization with offices in Ithaca and Buffalo.
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