SYRACUSE — The five companies selected for the sixth round of Genius NY at the Tech Garden in Syracuse will begin their work “in the coming weeks.” They will participate in the incubator’s business workshops, events, resource pool, and mentoring, per Empire State Development’s Aug. 9 announcement. Genius NY is described as the “world’s largest […]
SYRACUSE — The five companies selected for the sixth round of Genius NY at the Tech Garden in Syracuse will begin their work “in the coming weeks.”
They will participate in the incubator’s business workshops, events, resource pool, and mentoring, per Empire State Development’s Aug. 9 announcement.
Genius NY is described as the “world’s largest business accelerator focused on uncrewed systems.” Genius NY stands for Growing ENtrepreneurs & Innovators in UpState New York. The Tech Garden is CenterState CEO’s regional business incubator.
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 Genius NY pitch finals are set for Nov. 3 and teams will compete for $3 million in investments, including a $1 million grand prize. Throughout the program, companies will also receive stipends, resources, programming, investor demo days, and networking opportunities.
“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.
About the companies
Empire State Development provided descriptions of all the companies involved in this year’s Genius NY competition.
Archangel Imaging, Ltd. deploys smart machines alongside people to protect valuable assets and at-risk staff in remote or “challenging” places.
“Whether [it’s] cables being stolen, oil being tapped or elephants poached for ivory, Archangel provides the ability for the security team to know before these incidents are about to happen and immediately intervene or follow up,” per the ESD description.
AVSS - Aerial Vehicle Safety Solutions, Inc. produces a parachute-recovery system and flight termination system that is commercializing drone technology for urban air mobility (UAM). AVSS’s products are distributed worldwide through its more than 50 authorized dealers’ network and sold directly to drone manufacturers across the world.
Dronehub develops autonomous charging docks for drones that help companies with large infrastructure to reduce monitoring costs, get real-time aerial data, and “exclude the human factor.” Dronehub helps industries to collect real-time precise aerial data, process it, and automate operations.
Fusion Engineering is working to create the “most reliable, flexible and easy-to-use” flight controller for any type of multirotor drone, ESD said. The company builds “innovative” flight-control algorithms to ensure “more accurate positioning, disturbance rejection and fault tolerance.”
Wonder Robotics is a provider of autonomous products for commercial drone and unmanned-platform applications, focusing on the drone delivery and UAM/AAM (advanced air mobility) markets by utilizing “highly advanced vision-based capabilities for mission enable and safety.”
“We are excited to welcome these teams to Central New York and get to work advancing their business plans and technologies,” Kara Jones, director of Genius NY, said. “Over the coming year, they will be connected to local businesses for strategic guidance and operational support and be immersed in the tech startup and UAS ecosystems. In addition to high-impact programmatic and business support provided by Genius NY, participants will also become more connected to our local community through events and social engagements.”