Events for entrepreneurs and startups in the Capital Region.
Connect with Capital Region business and civic leaders for exclusive insights into economic development, emerging industry trends, and meaningful networking.
Can an inventor be a successful CEO? We'll delve into these two roles and the importance of distinguishing them for the health of a startup. This interactive session is geared toward researchers who are considering the next steps of commercializing their inventions/intellectual property and would like to know more about the characteristics that separate the two before taking the journey.
Event attendees will:
Begin to understand the key differences between these roles and where overlap exists
Learn about cap tables and why equity matters
Learn about the dynamic and potential conflicts of interest
Understand the differences between running a lab and running a business
Lunch will be served.
Innovation is a significant part of RPI's storied past. The William F. Glaser ’53 Rensselaer Entrepreneur of the Year Award recognizes successful entrepreneurs whose vision, commitment, and creativity exemplify the entrepreneurial spirit that is the past, present, and future of RPI.
Please join us in celebrating the 2025 Entrepreneur of the Year Award on Thursday November 6, 2025 @ 1 pm in RPI’s EMPAC Theater. Parking is available in the garage on College Avenue.
Awards ceremony, fireside chat with President Marty Schmidt, startup pitch competition, poster presentations, and networking.
Free and open to the public.
The 2025 New York State Innovation Summit will showcase companies and researchers at the forefront of emerging technologies and new advancements in production capabilities. This event celebrates New York State leadership in technology-led economic growth with experts in biotechnology, new materials, energy innovation, and artificial intelligence that will explore current technology convergence opportunities, ways to accelerate commercialization, and issues of manufacturing sustainability.
Learn more and register for the 2025 NYS Innovation Summit in Rochester, NY.
Held the day before the Innovation Summit, this meeting is for NYSTAR assets.
Speaker Randy Stewart, who has run wildly successful startups, will share lessons learned from a $1 billion pivot. Come and talk to Randy and learn why the pivot is so important.
Where pigs can fly, there are no boundaries. Unleash your inner innovator.
Food and drinks served.
You’re invited to Shop Talk - a networking event at the Tech Valley Center of Gravity.
All the time, TVCOG hears some version of "I've looked in the windows, the COG looks really cool, but I have no idea what goes on in there." Here's a chance to find out!
TVCOG is inviting a variety of local businesses & organizations for a behind-the-scenes look at the COG community, resources that might be of use, and how you can get involved.
Free coffee and breakfast snacks.
How do you know there’s actually a market for your new product? Join this workshop to learn more about customer discovery tools for entrepreneurs developing physical products. We’ll cover market research basics, tips and tricks, and low-barrier prototyping tools to get you collecting data faster. You’ll also hear real-world examples from professional designers on how prototyping is used to determine final product specifications.
Tech Valley Center of Gravity is a makerspace & incubator that empowers makers to connect, collaborate, and create. Their fabrication shop is ideal for individuals and startups who need access to workspace and prototyping equipment in order to test new ideas and grow their business.
Dan Falkenstrom, Operations Director, has experience as a manufacturing engineer, and helps connect manufacturing startups with resources to overcome their roadblocks.
Ignite U, powered by NYSTEC, is a nonprofit dedicated to the sustainable development of New York by building specialized programming designed to support the economic and educational initiatives of New York State.
Diane Borghoff is a professional in assessing numerous early-stage products, services, processes, and techniques in various domains. Her career spans more than 15 years with expertise building business cases, marketing plans, mentoring Lean LaunchPad techniques and go-to-market strategies. These range from ideating creative, disruptive solutions and navigating intellectual property needs to shape their advancement into the marketplace.
Fun Stuff Design, led by Julian Goldman and Dierdre Shea, is a Troy-based industrial design studio. Their focus is on biomaterials and objects that endure, with experience in sustainable supply chain, product strategy, and product development.
The startup world abounds with cautionary tales about going into business with friends, colleagues or family members. Starting a business with someone you know sounds fun but even the tightest of friendships can be undone by poorly executed agreements, if one is even created.
No matter how you and your co-founders came together, a Founders’ Agreement provides a strong foundation on which to build your business while protecting each founder’s interests and cultivating a healthy working relationship.
Richard Honen ’82, Partner at Philips Lytle LLP, will join us to answer your questions about founders’ agreements, such as:
When do you need a founders’ agreement?
What is the legal strength of these agreements?
What are the components of a founders' agreement?
Attendees are invited to submit their questions to innovationcenter@albany.edu. This presentation is for both new founders and already formed companies. A Q&A will follow the presentation.
Hear firsthand from Indium Corporation’s Jackie McDowell, Senior Manager of Human Resources, and
Software Developer Apprentice, Austin Eannace-Caro.
Whether you’re new to apprenticeship or looking to expand your program, this session will provide practical insights, real-world examples, and strategies you can put into action.
Meredith O’Connell, Manager, Workforce Development,CEG
Amy Stage, Director of Apprenticeship & Workforce Development, MACNY, The Manufacturers Association
Rich Turner, Director of Workforce Development, RTMA
Jackie McDowell, Senior Manager, Human Resources, Indium Corporation
Austin Eannace-Caro, Software Developer Apprentice, Indium Corporation
This is a virtual event.
Join us in Buffalo on Wednesday, September 10 for AI in Healthcare 2.0: Opportunities, Challenges and Next Steps. We are pleased to partner with Business & Entrepreneur Partnerships | University at Buffalo on this state-wide summit as we tackle the biggest challenges in artificial intelligence and health – product integration, care delivery, and attracting investment. We’re bringing together leading voices from industry, hospital systems and the investor community for a day of problem solving and best practices.
Panel discussions will include:
Implementing Artificial Intelligence into Healthcare Delivery Systems. We’re joined by leaders from regional hospital and health systems to discuss how their institutions are implementing AI into delivery systems to improve care and reduce costs.
Attracting Investment into AI Enhanced Products and Services. This panel of investment experts will discuss successful strategies for attracting investment to AI powered products and services.
Integrating Artificial Intelligence into Health Products and Treatments. Our panel of industry experts will discuss strategies for enhancing the power of medical devices, pharmaceuticals and diagnostics through the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning tools.
Spotlight on Innovation. We’ll be joined by some of the region’s most exciting health product innovators who will discuss their technologies and how AI is transforming healthcare products and delivery.
Join FuzeHub and partners on Wednesday, August 13, 2025 for an interactive, full-day workshop at SUNY New Paltz. This beginner-focused event is designed to help first-time hardware entrepreneurs and startups avoid common pitfalls and access the right resources to develop and commercialize physical products.
Participants will explore everything from IP strategy and prototype production to marketing, funding, and navigating New York’s robust innovation ecosystem. Attendees will also tour the Hudson Valley Additive Manufacturing Center and enjoy a networking reception with speakers and peers.
Register here: https://fuzehub.com/product-development-fundamentals-event-2025
Startup Tech Valley is a meetup for the entrepreneurship community in the Capital Region. Attendees include entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors, mentors, students, employees of startups, service providers to startups, and anyone else who wants to be involved or is curious.
This month, we're partnering with Launchbox Flexible Warehouse Suites in Latham, NY to host our presentations in their space. Launchbox provides individual warehouse and work suites from 150 to 1,000 square feet. For no extra charge, Launchbox members also enjoy access to shared spaces and amenities that combine the advantages of coworking with warehousing to help your business grow.
What to Expect:
Connect + Engage. Start with networking and then get introduced to startups through pitch sessions.
No cost to attend, however RSVP is required
5:30pm Networking | 6:00 - 7:00pm Pitches
If you're interested in pitching, apply now.
Join RPI’s top innovators as they compete for $50,000 in prizes at the Catalyst Incubator Showcase.
The public is welcome to the Spring 2025 cohort pitch event. Food, beverages and awards following the pitches.
🚀 Boost Your Business with UAlbany Talent
Are you a startup or small business in the Capital Region looking for fresh talent and new perspectives? Join us virtually on April 9th to learn about the SPEED program (SUNY Program for Experiential and Entrepreneurial Development).
Through SPEED, you can bring on skilled student interns from UAlbany for remote, in-person, or hybrid positions. Students come from a wide range of academic backgrounds including business, marketing, computer science, engineering, economics, education, and more.
Internships can be paid, unpaid, or stipend-based, and each student is career-prepped before they begin. It's a win-win: you gain valuable help while supporting the next generation of professionals.
You’ll also hear from two company founders who have successfully hired through SPEED.
🗓️ Event Date: April 9, 2025
📍 Location: Online (Zoom link upon registration)
🔗 https://bit.ly/ualbany-speed
Brought you by the UAlbany Innovation Center, with support from Innovate 518
Presented by IRS Representative Jacqueline Kelly-Myers:
"Understanding Your Federal Taxes and Your Business"
If attending, please complete the Registration Link:
https://form.jotform.com/250506177918159
The presentation will emphasize and focus on small businesses and how they can efficiently organize and manage their Federal Income Taxes.
🚀 Smart Strategies: Using Market Insights & Data to Propel Your Startup 🔍
Join us for an exclusive free webinar where we dive into how startups can leverage free secondary research data to make smarter decisions, refine strategies, and gain a competitive edge!
🎤 Featuring: Tom Reynolds, Senior Business Advisor, SBDC – Expert in small business growth and market research
📅 Date: 2/26/25
⏰ Time: noon
Don’t miss this opportunity to gain actionable insights from data gathered specifically for your business!
We will cover the free data request process, walk through a typical report, and share tips on how to use the data for lead creation, competitor analysis, market size analysis, industry trends, revenue forecasting, positioning strategy, etc.
Unlike many university departments that focus on student lifecycles, the University at Albany’s Office of Economic Development prioritizes supporting innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic growth. By adopting Salesforce, this department has created a centralized system to track programs, client engagement, and economic impact metrics—helping tell the broader story of their contributions to regional and campus-wide growth.
In this webinar, we will cover:
How UAlbany’s Economic Development team tailored Salesforce to its unique needs outside the student lifecycle model.
The importance of fostering campus-wide buy-in for data sharing and collaboration across departments.
Using centralized data to tell a compelling story of economic growth, including metrics like funding raised, job creation, and program outcomes.
Lessons learned from working with Redpath to develop an efficient and scalable system.
This webinar is designed for higher education professionals managing innovation programs, economic development, or similar initiatives. Learn how to build cross-departmental support and use data to highlight the impact of your work.
Whether you’re a startup seeking capital and exposure, or an investor seeking new deals, New York Venture Summit, presented by youngStartup Ventures, is one event you won’t want to miss.
This exclusive venture summit is dedicated to showcasing early-stage VCs, Corporate VCs and angel investors committed to funding venture backed, emerging and early-stage companies as well as showcasing trailblazers in the AI, Clean Tech, FinTech, Life Science, Healthcare Tech, MedTech, Climate Tech, and more sectors.
Artificial intelligence is transforming all aspects of healthcare, from diagnostics to medical devices and from drug development to care delivery. We at LifeSciencesNY believe now is the time to seize opportunities in this transformative technology.
Join us on Wednesday, June 5th, at the University at Albany as we bring together leading researchers, product developers, and cutting-edge startups for a statewide symposium focused on challenges, collaboration, and opportunities in the field.
The program will include:
Keynote speaker, Kesh Kesavadas, PhD, Vice President for Research and Economic Development, University at Albany: “Emerging Opportunities in AI in the Life Sciences.”
Two interactive panel discussions featuring:
Academics from leading New York State universities on the state of AI research, best practices, and addressing the challenge of algorithmic bias;
Representatives from New York-based life sciences companies on using AI in healthcare products and drugs.
A spotlight conversation with New York healthcare startups focused on innovation and leading-edge technology
Active networking and opportunities for collaboration and partnership.
Lunch is included, and the program will conclude with a networking reception from 3-4 pm.
The Business Incubator Assocation of New York State (BIANYS) is hosting its annual meeting in partnership with the University of Buffalo for a three-day event focused on business incubation, startup entrepreneurship, and funding mechanisms.
We hope that you will join us Thursday evening May 30th from 5:30-8:30 at Albany Medical College and Albany College of Pharmacy and Health’s Pitch Night – an opportunity to see the latest updates from our 2024 Bioinnovation Bootcamp cohort! Our innovative participants are entrepreneurs, clinicians, faculty, postdocs, and students developing products, solutions, and technologies in the medical and life sciences space. If you would like to join us for this event, please register here. Registration is free, but required. Detailed information about event logistics will be sent to all registrants in advance. Questions? Reach out to innovation@amc.edu.
Thank you to our partners and sponsors for their support of this program that will allow us to award over $25,000 in cash and in-kind prizes to the top pitches.
The 8th Annual Awards Ceremony, presented by Upstate Capital Association of New York recognizes the most deals and the most active dealmakers across the state. Jack Greco, Co-founder & GP of Farout VC and Co-founder of ACV Auctions, will be the host.
