Latest News About Business Incubators and Accelerators From Across New York State

August 2024

New York State Incubator Report

BIANYS News and Updates

Metrics That Matter

InBIA Impact Survey

BIANYS is teaming up with InBIA (the International Business Innovation Association) to collect data from our members on the incubation and acceleration of startups statewide, nationally, and internationally. If you participate in the survey you will be able to access data on incubation that can help with your own programming and reporting, while BIANYS will be able to obtain important data for our members at a statewide level. 

The Impact Index, a report that provides global insights on the impact of entrepreneur support and identifies ESO benchmarks of operations and success. This information helps InBIA and the practitioners we serve showcase the why of entrepreneur support and give ESO managers a sense of the industry standard for similar organizations. 

But this effort won’t be as effective without you! We need to collect as much

data as possible to create a robust industry report, so we are asking you to take a few minutes to complete the survey. By completing the survey you will receive preferred access to the FY23 Impact Index. 

Not the person who has all the information? Please pass this request along to the one who does to make sure your organization is represented in this important industry project.

Interested in becoming more involved with BIANYS?

Join one of our Committees!



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Ecosystem News and Reads

New $6 Million Fund will turn Upstate Medical University’s ideas into new businesses

During a ceremony at Upstate Medical University SUNY Upstate Medical University President Mantosh Dewan announced the launch of Upstate Biotech Ventures, the first-of-its-kind venture capital fund for startups and small businesses on a SUNY campus.



The $6 million fund was established with a $3 million capital investment from Empire State Development's Community and Regional Partner Fund, part of the State Small Business Credit Initiative through the U.S. Treasury, and a $3 million allocation from Upstate Medical University through the SUNY Research Foundation.

HUSTLE Business Winners Announced by Griffiss Institute

Koffman Southern Tier Incubator Formally Opens New Facility in Vestal

The Koffman Southern Tier Incubator at Binghamton University has expanded with the addition of a new facility in Vestal, which it calls Koffman on Plaza. The Koffman Incubator provides key resources and programs to aspiring entrepreneurs and growing startup companies. The Koffman Southern Tier Incubator, which is located at 120 Hawley Street...

Brett comes to Albany from RPI, where he was a faculty member and the Program Administrator for the Life Sciences Entrepreneurship (LSE) initiative, fostering strategic partnerships with investors and the greater sector-specific business communities regionally and nationally. He is also the founder of Seven Point Labs, a data-focused firm that explores the commercialization of intellectual property that emphasizes human-centered product or service design. His experience with the ideation process and development of strategic partnerships has paved the way for new founders and entrepreneurs over the last decade.

Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation Backs University of Buffalo's Cultivator Startup Program

The University at Buffalo has received a $750,000 grant from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation to help sustain three more years of operations for Cultivator, its early-stage startup support program.



The two organizations share a dedicated mission of strengthening the Western New York (WNY) region, in part through fostering innovation and entrepreneurship.

Levels Raises $10M to Fund More Accessible Metabolic Health App

Levels, a software company that shows you how food affects your health, today announced a $10 million Series A Extension to bring its mission of solving the metabolic health crisis to an even wider audience. The round included $3 million in crowdfunding from more than 2,000 investors, as well as investments from Long Journey, a16z, and others.

New York’s Growing Quantum Consortium Takes Center Stage at Q4I’s Quantum Alley

The New York QUANTUM Consortium, a statewide collaboration organized and led by the Westchester County Office of Economic Development and New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), recently participated in Quantum Alley, an extension of the Quantum for International (Q4I) workshop held at Innovare in Rome, NY.

Among the QUANTUM Consortium members who exhibited at Quantum Alley were: the Westchester County Office of Economic Development, which shared information about the growing Consortium; City College of New York, which showcased an interferometer and gave short demos of the quantum properties it illustrates; The Coding School, which spoke about its Qubit by Qubit program; Qunnect, which highlighted its quantum communications hardware and software products; and SUNY Polytechnic which shared information about the school’s various STEM majors.

Chris Helvly: Why The Culture of Entrepreneurship is Opportunity

Opportunity is the lifeblood of entrepreneurship. It’s what drives us to create, innovate, and disrupt. It’s the fuel that ignites our passion and motivation. And when a community culture thinks in opportunity, something magical happens: people engage, ideas flourish, and commerce booms. That’s when innovation thrives.

Recent Filings

AlleyWatch Releases July 2024 US Venture Capital Funding Report

Take a look at the state of venture capital and seed funding during June nationally, where close to $7.9B was invested into US startups, compared with July where close to $9.7B was invested. Analyzing some publicly available data from our friends at CrunchBase, break down the aggregate statistics for all funding deals by stage of funding (Early Stage [Angel, Pre-Seed, Seed], Series A, Series B, and Late Stage [Series C+]).

Upcoming Programs

Feel the #BoundlessPotential at Luminate Finals 2024

Celebrate the indomitable spirit of innovation at the Luminate Accelerator’s annual tech demo day and funding competition. Ten revolutionary startups from around the world will showcase their technologies and pitch for up to $2 million in follow-on funding.

Get a close look at innovations pushing the limits in AI, manufacturing, drug development, and other fields. See which startups take home follow-on funding — with a grand prize investment of $1 million for Company of the Year — and cast your vote for your favorite team during the event to help them take home the Audience Choice Award (and $10,000 cash). Plus, hear a panel discussion on the ethical use of data in AI and AI-enabled applications. In-person attendees, network over drinks on us before and after the event!

Register to join the free event in person or online on Thursday, 9/26.

Join ELab NYCMasterclass: Build a Fundable Commercial Plan to Optimize your Venture Value September 18-19, 2024, at West End Labs, NYC (or virtually). Gain invaluable insights and strategies for success. 

​The Masterclass is ideal for ventures seeking growth and profitability strategies to:

• ​maximize investment and company value, 
• ​sell to customers and/or 
• ​engage corporate partners, or to 
• ​recruit team members.  

Use code TAKE20 for 20% off your registration.

NY-BEST FALL ENERGY STORAGE TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION CONFERENCE

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

NY-BEST is hosting its Annual Fall Energy Storage Technology and Innovation Conference on Thursday, October 24, 2024, at the Doubletree by Hilton in Binghamton, NY. 



This annual event brings together leading minds in energy storage technology and innovation for a stimulating one-day conference on the latest groundbreaking work and technological advances in the rapidly growing field of energy storage technology, including:

• advancements in storage technologies and applications
• innovations in materials and chemistries
• advancements in product development
• commercialization, manufacturing, and supply chain developments

Communitas America is now accepting applications for Cohort 13 of the Communitas Ventures accelerator, running from September 25, 2024 to December 11, 2024. For Cohort 13, they invite applicants with ventures focused on food justice. 

Eligible ventures include (but are not limited to): products/services aimed at improving access to food and/or healthy eating in under-resourced communities 

• products/services/programs promoting diversity/visibility in food culture 
• education programs/services centering on food, nutrition, agriculture, food equity, healthy eating, food culture diversity, or similar 
• health and wellness products/services centered on healthy eating, nutrition, nourishment, or similar 
• food/agriculture sustainability and technology
• ventures with aligning with UN Sustainable Development Goals #2: Zero Hunger and/or #11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

Are you eager to start your entrepreneurial journey but haven’t found that breakthrough idea yet? Or do you have a startup concept but are unsure about the next steps? Join the Rev Content Session: Crafting Entrepreneurial Ideas for the Community!  

This interactive content session will be led by Brad Treat, Director of the Southern Tier Startup Alliance, and Ken Rother, Director of Rev: Ithaca Startup Works. Whether you're just starting out or looking to take your idea to the next level, this event offers valuable guidance, collaborative discussions, and expert advice to help you transform your entrepreneurial aspirations into reality. 

Join Genspace for an unforgettable celebration of its 15 years of Learning, Creating, and Growing! Theme this year: Roots & Resilience: 15 Years of Genspace honors the incredible journey and growth of Genspace over the past decade and a half.



Highlights of the Evening:

• Inspiring Talks and Testimonials
• Hands-on activities & showcase
• Connect with fellow science enthusiasts, innovators, and community members
• Enjoy tasty treats and beverages

When: Friday September 13, 2024 | 6pm-9pm

Where: Newlab | 19 Morris Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11205

CNY Concept to Commercialization Series:

Preparation for Commercialization and Critical Considerations

September 11, 2024 | 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Shanthi Ramakrishnan

As your organization and company advances scientific ideas and technology development into launchable products and platforms, simultaneously addressing a minimum set of commercial considerations are key to ensure lasting impact. In this presentation, we will cover: Process to systematically move from a fuzzy front end to a well-defined business plan that will yield results with reduced residual risks; Focus on 4Cs: customers, channels, competition, commercial tactics; and Measuring success broadly: patients served/life positively impacted, business growth, profitability, and other indicators.

CNY Concept to Commercialization Series:

Biotech Equity Research: Tracking the Promise (and Risk) of Early Stage Companies Navigating the Public Markets

October 3, 2024 | 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Benjamin J. Burnett, Ph.D. Managing Director, Equity Research,

Stifel Investment Services

The intersection of early stage life science companies and finance will be discussed. We plan to cover recent capital market trends and forecasts, timing the market, and what it takes to become (and be) a public company. Balancing innovation with capital needs requires a good understanding of how and when to access capital, and whether this is more easily done as a private or public company.

Open Application: Battery I-Corps

The Battery Show brings together engineers, business leaders, top-industry companies, and innovative thinkers to discover ground-breaking products and create powerful solutions for the future. More than 19,000 attendees are expected to take advantage of four full days of educational sessions, networking opportunities and, of course, explore the latest market innovations from over 1,150 exhibitors across one of the world’s largest battery technology trade shows.

Battery I-Corps @ The Battery Show: Through the experiential course, battery and energy storage innovators and entrepreneurs will learn about customer discovery and product-market fit of their innovations by directly connecting with relevant stakeholders, including potential customers and partners, in-person at the Battery Show.

When: October 7-10, 2024

Where: Huntington Place - Detroit, Michigan

NYC OTI Launches Smart City Test Bed

The newly launched NYC Smart City Testbed Program creates a streamlined path to pilot emerging technologies with stakeholder city agencies. Accepted applicants will pilot their technology within New York City’s built environments with assistance from the Testbed team throughout the entire process

BIANYS Job Board and Talent Network

Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Partnerships at Binghamton University is seeking applicants for the following roles:

1. Assistant Director
2. Senior Program Manager
3. Program Manager
4. Digital Content Creator
5. Technology Transfer Director
6. Technology Transfer Manager
7. Technology Transfer Industry Outreach Program Associate
8. Technical Writer

Office of Translational Research, Innovation, and Technology Transfer (OTR) at Albany Medical Center is seeking applications for:

1. Innovation Project Manager

If your Incubator and/or Member Companies would like employment opportunities posted to the BIANYS Talent Network please submit requests here.