Wednesday, November 17th, Blackstone LaunchPad at UAlbany hosted our virtual Pitch Competition. This virtual competition was open to all UAlbany students with innovative ideas. Participants gave a five minute extended elevator pitch to our alumni panel of entrepreneurs and executives and executives to compete for a chance to win one of three $500 cash prizes. This event would not have been possible without our panel of judges: Rich Dubin, Stephen Hartmann, Anthony DeBonis, David Rook, Lee Perry, Gary Goldstein, Steve Lobel, Dan Finkla and Ema Buco. Thank you for taking the time to help make this event possible!
While virtual, this year we had a great turnout and heard some exceptional pitches, with two teams tying for the winning position: Allix Coon of Sangali and Tatyana Tarasevich of SFluor. Additionally, Healy Tureski won audience favorite with their company Shafi.
“SFluor is a new, super-hard, heat-resistant photocuring polymer that is three times stronger than others in its class. It dries quickly under normal light without the need for expensive lighting arrays or additional chemicals; it can also be fine-tuned for a range of high-performance aviation and aerospace applications. SFluor is ideal for firms seeking an environmentally clean, cost saving material as it emits no harmful VOCs.” - Tatyana Tarasevich.
“Our mission at Sangali is to provide a testing service for the private sector, to identify the specific species of wood that they are purchasing. In the US and globally, there are restrictions associated with the import and export of wood. Failure to adhere to these laws can result in years of jail time, millions of dollars in fines and negative brand reputation. Our service provides the analysis of wood in any form, whether it be logs, planks, slivers or shavings. The testing itself takes approximately 15 seconds to complete and a minimum of a pinhead of sample is needed for analysis. Our service can ensure companies that they are law-abiding, promote environmental sustainability and maintain their positive reputations.” - Allix Coon.
Allix and Tatyana have competed in our competitions in the past. Most recently, Allix took home 1st place in our 2021 Innovation Competition with her company Chem Detect. Tatyana also competed in the 2021 Innovation Competition and placed 2nd. It’s a privilege to witness these two women compete and we look forward to seeing more of their work in the future!