Register now for FuzeHub’s 2020 Commercialization Competition on November 18 and 19 and watch New York State’s up-and-coming entrepreneurs pitch their technologies and showcase their products. The virtual event spans two days helps make connections that can also benefit your own business. A 2017 FuzeHub award helped accelerate SparkCharge, founded by Josh Aviv ’15 G ’17, connecting him with investors and eventually propelling him to the stage of Shark Tank where he closed a million-dollar deal. Syracuse University’s Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars executive director Linda Dickerson Hartsock is a panelist for this year’s virtual event. Be part of New York’s innovation ecosystem at this event featuring networking, panelists, speakers, and a full day of company pitches. Check out the list of judges and speakers below, visit the FuzeHub website site to read their bios, and register for the virtual event
Here’s the line-up:
November 18
Features a panel of entrepreneurs and former Commercialization Competitions winners who will discuss their paths to growth and experiences managing the pandemic.
November 19
NYS innovators will pitch their product followed by a Q&A from our panel of judges. At the end of the day, FuzeHub will hold an awards ceremony where six winners will receive up to $50,000 each.
Judges include:
Panelists include:
FuzeHub sponsors the annual FuzeHub Commercialization Competition. Funding for the Jeff Lawrence Manufacturing Innovation Fund is provided by Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR) and administered by FuzeHub. During the competition, finalists from across New York State pitch their innovations and a panel of industry experts select the award recipients based on the commercialization potential of their technology.
The Commercialization Competition was launched in 2017 to support pre-revenue businesses at a specific stage in their product development. Award money must be used to produce or improve upon a working prototype, to enable the company to pursue additional investments and customers, leading to commercialization of their product. The competition is part of the Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund which supports activities designed to promote technology development and commercialization across New York State. The fund provides $1 million annually and is administered by FuzeHub, the statewide Manufacturing Extension Partnership Center.
FuzeHub is a not-for-profit organization that connects New York’s small and mid-sized manufacturing companies to the resources, programs and expertise they need for technology commercialization, innovation and business growth. FuzeHub helps companies navigate New York’s robust network of industry experts at Manufacturing Extension Partners centers, universities, economic development organizations and other providers. FuzeHub is the statewide New York Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) center, supported by Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology & Innovation (NYSTAR).
Josh Aviv won FuzeHub’s first-ever Jeff Lawrence Innovation FundCommercialization Competition in 2017, shortly after graduating from Syracuse University. The award helped him create his working prototype which caught the attention of his first pre-seed investors in Boston, and set him on the path to commericalization. The company is now manufacturing its ultra-fast portable EV charger in Buffalo.