SYRACUSE — Upstate Venture Connect (UVC) recently announced that several community leaders from the Syracuse area have been nominated for 2017 Venture Ecosystem Awards. More than 120 submissions, across the five awards categories, were received. These nominations “represent the entrepreneurial leaders throughout Upstate who are transforming our region’s economy,” according to UVC. “We’re ready for […]
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SYRACUSE — Upstate Venture Connect (UVC) recently announced that several community leaders from the Syracuse area have been nominated for 2017 Venture Ecosystem Awards.
More than 120 submissions, across the five awards categories, were received. These nominations “represent the entrepreneurial leaders throughout Upstate who are transforming our region’s economy,” according to UVC.
“We’re ready for another year of connecting entrepreneurs to investors and community builders. We’ll showcase the top CEOs creating the future today, and celebrate those for their efforts in making Upstate the go-to destination for entrepreneurs,” UVC Co-founder Martin Babinec said in a news release.
Winners will be announced at an awards luncheon at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown on Sept. 19.
Here are the Central New York region leaders nominated by category:
Campus Connector — Honoring individuals affiliated with an educational institution (an administrator, student, alumnus, or faculty member) who are leveraging on- and off-campus resources and connections to spin out research startups and/or create opportunities to retain entrepreneurial students.
- Nasir Ali — CEO, co-founder of Upstate Venture Connect and managing director of the StartFast Venture Accelerator
- Terry Brown — executive director of the Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship at Syracuse University (SU)
- Linda Dickerson Hartsock — executive director, Blackstone LaunchPad at SU
- Michael D’Eredita — Co-founder, Mozzo Analytics, Veda Sport; professor of practice at SU
- Wills Hapworth — executive director, Thought Into Action Entrepreneurship Institute at Colgate University
- Jim Joseph — dean of Madden School of Business at Le Moyne; advisor, Oneida Group; member, UNY50
Magical Mentor — For individuals who have had a transformative impact on the trajectory of one or more startup companies.
- Lamont Mitchell — director of minority affairs/MWBE compliance officer, City of Syracuse
Community Catalyst — Honoring individuals who organize programs to bring together diverse-start ecosystem players in a local community and/or increase the amount of capital and number of active early stage investors in that community.
- Sean Branagan — Co-founder, Student EuroTech Cup; director of digital media entrepreneurship, Syracuse University’s Newhouse School; creator, Student Startup Madness; founder, Communigration
- Kathryn Cartini — CMO, UVC; associate partner, Chloe Capital; mentor StartFast, IgniteU NY
- Rick Clonan — VP of innovation & entrepreneurship, CenterState CEO/The Tech Garden
- Troy Evans — Co-founder, Syracuse CoWorks and Commonspace; founder, 16th Avenue, Inc.
- Chris Fowler — Founder/executive director, SyracuseFirst; board member, Syracuse Real Food Coop
- Martha Grabowski — professor/director at Le Moyne College
- Joanne Lenweaver — director of WISE Women’s Business Center
- Chuck Stormon — director, Advanced Tech, AIS; general partner/co-founder, StartFast, Member, UNY50
Ecosystem Champion — For individuals who are catalyzing and supporting startup activity across multiple upstate New York communities.
- Nasir Ali — CEO, co-founder of Upstate Venture Connect and managing director of the StartFast Venture Accelerator
- Kathryn Cartini — CMO, UVC; associate partner, Chloe Capital; mentor StartFast, IgniteU NY
- John Liddy — director, Student Sandbox; EIR, Tech Garden, MVCC, Le Moyne; e200 instructor, Interise
- Joan Powers — senior business advisor, Onondaga Community College / Small Business Development Center
- Randy Wolken — president of the Manufacturers Association & Manufacturers Alliance of New York
Deal of the Year — Honoring a company that has a successful exit, creating wealth for investors and founders/employees, as well as making the company a stronger contributor to the local economy. UVC said the finalists in this category will be announced later.
An independent panel of judges will review the nominations and determine the winners. For a complete list of nominees, visit UVC.org/Awards-Nominations-2017.
UVC says it is a 501(c)(3) public benefit nonprofit creating an entrepreneur-led startup ecosystem for upstate New York. Since 2010, it says it has helped launch six angel funds and three startup accelerators.
