Albany, NY – The Center for Economic Growth (CEG) announced today that the 10th Annual SmartStart UNYTECH Venture Forum, will be held in Syracuse May 17-18, 2010 at the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel & Conference Center. The forum is Upstate’s premier venture forum to highlight the best early stage companies to investors.
“Supporting high growth companies is important for the Tech Valley region, as well as across the state. Moving this forum to different cities each year allows us to diversify opportunities presented to our entrepreneurs. The Center or Economic Growth is looking forward to another successful forum, connecting researchers and start-ups with the funded needed to move forward,” stated F. Michael Tucker, president and CEO of the Center for Economic Growth.
“Working with partners like the SmartStart UNYTECH Venture Forum and CEG is essential to the Central New York Technology Development Organization(CNYTDO). CNYTDO’s mission is to accomplish economic development through the support of high tech and manufacturing entrepreneurs. We are glad to see this year’s SmartStart forum being held in Central NY and look forward to helping businesses make productive connections,” said Robert I. Trachtenberg, president and CEO of CNYTDO.”
This is the largest event for early stage companies and entrepreneurs in Upstate. It showcases local innovation before the entire Northeast investing and technology community. Every year, the forum provides a snapshot of the entire spectrum of New York state’s latest emerging technologies and insights into future markets.
“The Tech Garden is truly excited to welcome UNYTECH and SmartStart to Syracuse. The two events together showcase the best of what Upstate has to offer–cutting edge technologies and strong cross-regional collaborations between universities, entrepreneurs and angel/venture investors,” said Nasir Ali, president of The Tech Garden.
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.
“The Smart Start Venture Forum is an exceptional opportunity to showcase the wealth of innovation, expertise and resulting leading technologies that exists in Central Upstate New York. This year’s event being hosted in Syracuse will allow guests to meet and network with New York’s Creative Core’s fascinating local entrepreneurial and tech commercialization leaders,” said Mitchell Paterson, Economic Development Coordinator of the Metropolitan Development Association (MDA) of Syracuse and Central New York.
“The Syracuse University is proud and delighted to host upstate New York’s largest technology-venture fair SmartStart UNYTECH. This will be an amazing opportunity for early-stage companies to showcase their businesses to investors and for aspiring entrepreneurs to see first hand on how to attract private investments for their venture. This forum will also provide established companies access to the innovative research happening in the region’s world-class research institutions. Moreover, this event will provide networking opportunities with the people of upstate that are promoting an entrepreneurial ecosystem and a constellation of innovation possible.” concluded Jeong Han Oh, associate director of the Syracuse University Office of Technology Transfer and Industrial Development.
A call for entrepreneurs will begin in early January of 2010. For more information on the SmartStart UNYTECH forum, please contact CEG at 518-465-8975 or visit www.smartstartvf.com
About the Center for Economic Growth:
The Center for Economic Growth (CEG) is a regional economic and business development organization dedicated to attracting high-tech talent and companies and to providing innovative services to bolster local businesses in New York state’s Capital Region and Tech Valley. CEG receives significant financial support from the NYS Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR), a public benefit corporation that helps grow New York’s innovation economy with its support of high technology development and commercialization through academic and business partnerships, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). CEG serves as NYSTAR’s designated Regional Technology Development Center for Tech Valley, one of nearly 350 MEP locations across the country assisting local manufacturing and technology companies with generating new sales, creating stronger operational infrastructure and overcoming barriers to growth. CEG is based in Albany, N.Y. Visit www.ceg.org for more information.
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.
