Binghamton, Syracuse startups selected as finalists for upcoming FuzeHub commercialization competition

Three Syracuse startups and one from Binghamton are among the 12 finalists in FuzeHub’s upcoming commercialization competition, set for the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center on Oct. 25-26.

FuzeHub, an Albany–based nonprofit, works at helping small and mid-sized manufacturing companies in New York state. FuzeHub is the statewide New York Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program center, supported by Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology & Innovation.

The competition, part of FuzeHub’s Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund, is in its sixth year. The finalists will pitch their ideas before a live audience for the chance to win $50,000, and one company will secure the grand prize award of $150,000.

Besides the entrepreneurs from Syracuse and Binghamton, the additional finalists include startups from Albany, Mechanicville, Poughkeepsie, two from Rochester, Amsterdam, the Bronx, and Brooklyn, FuzeHub said.

“These 12 finalists represent a wide variety of industries, supporting the idea that this is the best time for innovation in every aspect of manufacturing,” Elena Garuc, executive director of FuzeHub, said in a release. “From improved health care to energy generation and storage, and a general regard for environmental sustainability, you will find an interesting project in this round no matter what your background is.”

The Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund, which has more than $1 million annually, supports a set of activities designed to spur technology development and commercialization across New York. FuzeHub is administering this fund as part of its role as the Empire State Development designated statewide MEP center.

The late Jeff Lawrence served as executive VP and MEP center director at the Center for Economic Growth, the MEP affiliate in the Capital Region, per FuzeHub.

About the regional finalists

Carapace Analytics of Syracuse is ready to scale its existing automated mobility assessment, which measures users’ fall risk. This project includes investment-technology infrastructure and sensors.

Envision Biopolymers LLC of Syracuse will provide a waste-to-bioplastic platform technology for chemical suppliers to the pulp and paper-based food-packaging industry.

Farm to Flame Energy of Syracuse repurposed a steam turbine to generate electricity through a smokeless, odorless, and portable biomass electricity-generation process. It uses pulverized feed stocks as biomass to achieve a thermal efficiency of 98 percent, against the traditional biomass thermal efficiency of 78 percent.

Ashlawn Energy of Binghamton says its patented VanCharg vanadium redox flow battery energy-storage system enables multi-family and commercial office-building owners to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions to “avoid paying fines from new environmental laws and pay lower off-peak rates to save on utility charges,” as described in the FuzeHub release.