Pitch Competition recap

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!

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The Blackstone Launchpad Innovation Competition is an annual event that welcomes all of Ualbany’s entrepreneurs regardless of their past experience or how developed their business idea may be. This event is held in an effort to encourage young entrepreneurs with startups and help to fund their businesses as well as bring them to life. This year our winners will receive $3,000 and 10 hours of legal consulting/service as a 1stplace prize, $1,000 and 10 hours of legal consulting/ services for 2nd place, and $500 as well as 2 hours of legal consulting for 3rd place. These prizes were graciously provided by our multiple donors: Richard Dublin, Gary Goldstein, Eric Leander, Kathryn Zox, William Newman, and David Siegfeld. Additionally, this event would not have been possible without the help of our judges: Sam Mere, Bruce Toyoma, David Siegfeld, Eric Leander, Gary Goldstein, Jim Harris, Judi Mather, Kevin Owens, Lee Perry, Robert Braathe, Stephen Hartmann, Jamal Rasoully, Rich Dubin, William Newman, Kathryn Zox, Neal Packer, and Sheldon Goldstien, who courteously offered their time.

This year’s competition, while virtual, had an exceptional turnout with Tatyana Tarasevich’s Sulfluor Polymers winning 2nd place and Yarid Asher’s Eorbi Inc. taking home 3rd. 

The 2021 Innovation Competition winner, Allix Coon, is a 3rd year PhD student here at Ualbany and is the cofounder of her company, ChemDetect. Coon is now the fourth female winner in a row, following Marielle Aprorite, April Meerson, and Amanda Dolan. Coon’s business, ChemDetect, aims to tackle the massive global problem of illegal logging, which is the process of harvesting, transporting, buying and selling of timber in violation of national and international laws. ChemDetect utilizes the chemical footprint of wood to identify its species by taking a sample the size of a match, sparing companies from unknowingly having restricted wood in their possession thus saving them from expensive fines and potential legal action. The test itself only takes around fifteen seconds to complete, as opposed to the current methods, which can take weeks to months, and are more costly and invasive.

“Having a resource like the Blackstone Launchpad at the Ualbany campus is incredible as a student entrepreneur. I am so thankful for all of the guidance I have received from them thus far. My recent participation and win in their innovation competition allowed me to gain real-world experience for future competitions and excites me for what will come next for our company ChemDetect” -Allix Coon.

We’d like to thank everyone who participated in this year’s competition. We are constantly impressed with the startups that Ualbany’s entrepreneurs present us with and are already looking forward to next year.