It is described as the “world’s largest business accelerator focused on uncrewed systems,” per Empire State Development’s Tuesday announcement.
Genius NY stands for Growing ENtrepreneurs & Innovators in UpState New York.
The selected companies are developing innovations in the uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), internet of things (IoT), and robotics industries. They were selected from a pool of more than 200 submissions from over 50 countries.
The five finalists are all international teams, representing Canada, the Netherlands, Israel, Poland, and the United Kingdom, ESD said. They include Archangel Imaging, Ltd. of the United Kingdom; AVSS – Aerial Vehicle Safety Solutions, Inc. of Canada; Dronehub of Poland; Fusion Engineering of the Netherlands; and Wonder Robotics of Israel.
Genius NY participants are required to operate their business in Central New York for at least one year.
“The fact that each of these GENIUS NY finalists are international teams highlights the strength of the program and the industry’s recognition that Central New York is the single best place to grow your UAS company,” Robert Simpson, president and CEO of CenterState CEO, said. “In addition to the resources provided by the program these teams will also become part of Central New York’s robust tech ecosystem. We proudly welcome this new cohort to our community and are excited to work with these companies to ensure their companies evolve and grow here.”
The program is funded through the CNY Rising Upstate Revitalization Initiative (URI), the region’s strategic plan to generate economic growth and community development.
“These selected GENIUS NY round six finalists are ready to take flight, adding to the cohort of forward-thinking innovators that have been drawn to this unique business accelerator competition which is elevating Central New York’s unmatched UAS assets and infrastructure,” Hope Knight, acting president, CEO & commissioner of Empire State Development, said.