Join the Premier Venture Capital Event in Upstate New York
Venture NY is a two-day event bringing together investors, entrepreneurs and ecosystem leaders to connect, learn and explore the evolving venture landscape across New York State.
From emerging managers to seasoned investors, this event offers a unique opportunity to gain insights, build relationships and discover high-quality deal flow rooted in the region.
Benefits of Attending
At Venture NY, you’ll:
Connect with LPs, GPs and emerging managers through curated networking experiences
Gain insights into venture fund strategies and direct investing opportunities
Discover high-potential startups and state-supported innovation pipelines
Engage with New York’s leading venture ecosystem partners and institutions
Build meaningful relationships across the Upstate investment community
Investor Programming
Exclusive sessions designed for LPs and GPs to foster meaningful, high-value connections.
Direct investing strategy discussions
NYBPC Finals
Watch the top startup teams in New York compete for the $25,000 Grand Prize.
First place winners announcement
Live final pitches
Investor judging and winner reveal
Registration
Join us in the Capital Region for two days of insights, connections and opportunity.
Cancellation Policy: Free cancellation before 11:59 PM local time on April 20, 2026
Credit card required at booking
Rooms are limited and expected to fill quickly—secure your stay today for Venture NY.
Event Agenda
Day 1 — April 21, 2026
5:00 PM
Registration and Networking Connect with investors, founders, and ecosystem leaders.
6:00 PM
How Are Investors Really Deploying Capital Right Now? Inside the 2026 Playbook
After a period of market correction, investors are approaching deals with sharper discipline and clearer theses. This panel will bring together active investors to discuss how they are sourcing deals, underwriting risk, and deciding where to lean in—or sit out. We’ll explore shifts in sector focus, evolving expectations around traction and valuation, and how decision-making has changed over the past 18–24 months.
Participants include:
Moderator: Flossie Hall, Director of Operations, Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center
Rob Poltrino, Chief Operating Officer, Skull Diamond and Heart Capital
Danielle Blount, Partner, Bold Ventures
Rami Katz, CEO, Excell Partners
Mike Steffan, Finance Manager, Microsoft
Flossie Hall
Director of Operations, Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center
Flossie Hall is a Veteran Navy spouse, educator, and award-winning serial entrepreneur who has built and exited multiple 7-figure businesses across e-commerce, ed-tech, and CPG. She serves as Director of Operations at the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center and formerly as CEO of the Stella Foundation — a global nonprofit that has supported over 12,000 women entrepreneurs and helped facilitate more than $250 million in early-stage capital. She also founded the Association of Military Spouse Entrepreneurs (AMSE), empowering 2,000+ military spouses through entrepreneurship training worldwide. Flossie’s work has earned her two invitations to the White House and national partnerships with Nasdaq, Amazon, USAA, and Yahoo Small Business. She's been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc., and on the Nasdaq Tower in Times Square. She teaches entrepreneurship at SUNY Brockport, loves Angel Investing and advises founders and institutions nationwide. Flossie holds dual honors degrees from the University of Michigan and lives in Western New York with her husband and four children.
Rob Poltrino
Chief Operating Officer, Skull Diamond and Heart Capital
Robert Poltrino is the Chief Operating Officer at Skull, Diamond, and Heart Capital, where he currently manages a dynamic portfolio of 42 companies ranging from pre-seed to Series B with a roster that continues to grow at a rapid pace. A seasoned operations executive, Robert has built a career defined by his ability to scale early-stage ventures into market-leading organizations. Known for his swift leadership trajectory and deep technical expertise in IT and project management, he serves as a vital strategic advisor and board member across multiple sectors.
Robert is deeply committed to giving back, moving beyond simple contributions to actively supporting and helping lead a variety of charitable organizations. He is a regular fixture on the speaking circuit, where he focuses on fostering innovation and igniting the “entrepreneurial bug” in first-time founders. Passionate about the next generation of builders, Robert also spends significant time at various colleges and universities, mentoring students and providing the hands-on guidance necessary to turn a raw idea into a tangible reality.
Danielle Blount
Partner, Bold Ventures
Danielle Blount is a Partner at BOLD Ventures, a seed and seed+ stage venture capital fund investing in early-stage companies across the Great Lakes, Upstate New York, and Ohio corridor. She works closely with founders at the earliest and most uncertain stages of building — bringing both capital and community to the table.
Beyond BOLD, Danielle leads BOLDER Inc., an entrepreneurial wellness nonprofit, and is an advisor to Work Like a Girl, a 1,500+ member professional community for women. She is the incoming Chair of the Board of Trustees at Mount St. Mary Academy.
Danielle holds an MBA from the University at Buffalo and was named a 2021 Buffalo Business First 30 Under 30 honoree. She speaks regularly at venture, startup, and innovation events across the region on topics including early-stage investing, founder wellness, and building inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Rami Katz
CEO, Excell Partners
Rami Katz is the CEO of Excell Partners, a VC firm focused on investing in seed and a-round deep tech opportunities. In his role, Rami guides Excell’s investment strategy and oversees the firm’s due diligence and investment operations. Since joining the firm, Excell’s assets under management have grown over twenty-fold, yielding multiple successful exits across a diverse portfolio of biotech, medical device, energy and advanced manufacturing ventures.
Prior to Excell, Rami was the Director of Technology Commercialization at High Tech Rochester, a regional incubator, where he partnered with entrepreneurs, researchers, and startups to commercialize cutting-edge technologies. His work helped create over 50 investor-ready business plans, resulting in more than $40 million in funding from VCs, angel investors, and non-dilutive grants.
A trained attorney, Rami previously led a litigation, banking, and corporate law practice in Israel, managing complex debt restructurings and growing his group’s revenue by over 300%. His multidisciplinary background uniquely positions him to support startups navigating regulatory, legal, and financial complexities.
Rami is deeply committed to innovation and education. He serves as an adjunct faculty at the Simon Business School, where he teaches MBA level classes in entrepreneurship and finance, and sits on multiple nonprofit and community boards.
Rami holds an MBA from the University of Rochester and a law degree from Tel Aviv University.
Mike Steffan
Finance Manager, Microsoft
Finance Manager supporting M12, overseeing investment financials, portfolio analytics, and capital planning, while supporting disciplined deployment aligned to Microsoft’s venture strategy.
6:30 PM
Where Are the Returns Now? From Hype to Healthy Outcomes — A Venture Case Study from Upstate New York In a market defined by recalibration, where is real value being created—and realized? This session explores the shift from hype-driven investing to disciplined, outcome-oriented strategies. We’ll dive into sector rotation, capital efficiency, and evolving LP expectations, grounded in a real venture case study from Upstate New York.
Join us for an honest conversation on what it takes to build, scale, and raise capital in today’s environment—and how investors and founders alike are redefining success in a more measured, performance-driven era.
Panelists
Moderator: Chris Rodi, Partner, Woods Oviatt Gilman, LLP
David Brown, Managing Director Impellent Ventures
Ken Rosenfeld, Chief Operating Officer, Ognomy Sleep
Chris Rodi
Partner, Woods Oviatt Gilman, LLP
Chris Rodi is a partner in the firm’s Business & Tax Department, and focuses his practice in the areas of mergers & acquisitions, private equity, and general corporate law & governance. Chris serves as Chair of the Business & Tax Department, and is a member of the firm’s Management Committee which is responsible for general oversight and management of the firm.
Chris also serves as:
A member of the Board of Directors of Dynalec Corporation, a privately held manufacturer of military and commercial communications systems
A member of the Board of Directors of Glazer Hall, a non-profit performing arts center located in Palm Beach, Florida
A member of the Board of Directors of Upstate Capital Association of New York, a non-profit organization supporting a network of investors and businesses seeking to increase access to capital for companies and deal flow for investors across New York State
David Brown
Managing Director, Impellent Ventures
David Brown is the Founding Managing Partner of Impellent Ventures, a preseed / seed stage venture capital firm based in UNY that invests nationally. In addition to capital, the firm focuses on connecting startups with the nation’s best founders, mentors, and downstream capital resources.
Mr. Brown has been a community builder, startup investor and operator, and mentor for over a decade. He has supported hundreds of companies, held events for over 14,000 tech leaders per annum, and has applied venture principles to both for profit and nonprofit entities. Mr. Brown’s work has been affiliated with programs such as Techstars, MassChallenge, Harvard iLab, and Babson College and has been covered in many national publications.
Mr. Brown is a boomerang to Rochester from Boston, where he held roles as the Vice President of Innovation Leadership for the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, Director of Partnerships at ZappRx, a healthcare IT startup that has raised $42M before sale, and as the Executive Director of Technology Underwriting Greater Good (TUGG), the philanthropic arm of Boston’s technology startup ecosystem. He is also a Venture Partner and Limited Partner in several prominent national venture funds, and the co-founder of the Finger Lakes Summit.
Mr. Brown graduated with a BA in psychology and leadership studies, from Williams College. He also holds an MBA in entrepreneurship, summa cum laude, from Babson College.
In his spare time, aside from chasing around his two young boys, he sits on numerous nonprofit boards and economic development counsels and is an avid skier and golfer.
Ken Rosenfeld
Chief Operating Officer, Ognomy Sleep
Ken Rosenfeld has spent over two decades in digital health and is currently the Chief Operating Officer of Ognomy Sleep, his third digital health startup. Ognomy Sleep is transforming the $10B+ sleep health market by delivering fast, convenient, insured virtual care for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Previously, Ken was the COO of Casana who is building a revolutionary cardiovascular clinical monitoring tool built into a toilet seat, and prior to Casana was CEO and President of eHealth Technologies, a medical records and imaging interoperability company, which he co-founded in 2006. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Ken ran worldwide organizations for Kodak’s Health Group after working on innovative medical imaging products in Silicon Valley.
Ken is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania having received a Bachelor of Science degree in Bioengineering and Computer Science. Ken is also a member of the Upstate Venture Connect UNY50 Leadership Network working to provide a more connected startup ecosystem in Upstate NY.
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Networking Reception
Day 2 — April 22, 2026
10:00 AM
Registration and Networking Connect with investors, founders, and ecosystem leaders.
11:00 AM
Welcome Remarks Shelby Schneider, President of Upstate Capital Association of New York
Shelby Schneider
President and CEO, Upstate Capital Association of New York
Shelby Schneider is the President & CEO of the Upstate Capital Association of New York, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to private equity and venture capital across Upstate New York. Appointed in March 2025, Shelby brings more than two decades of experience in economic development and innovation ecosystems. She previously served as Deputy Director of the New York State Economic Development Council and as President & CEO of the Saratoga Prosperity Partnership, where she led transformational projects such as attracting Advanced Micro Devices (the predecessor to GlobalFoundries) to Luther Forest. A native of Upstate New York and a Skidmore College graduate, Shelby oversees Upstate Capital’s work connecting investors with promising ventures and leads the Capital Foundation of New York, which runs the New York State Business Plan Competition that engages colleges and hundreds of student teams statewide.
11:10 AM
What Makes an AI Company Investable? Data Strategy, Risk & Valuation from Build to Exit
Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how companies build and scale—but not all AI companies are equally investable. This session will explore what truly differentiates investable AI companies today, with a particular focus on data strategy, governance, and risk. We’ll examine how data quality and defensibility show up in diligence, influence valuation, and ultimately impact exit outcomes—through legal, operator, and investor perspectives.
The goal is to give attendees a clear, practical view into how investors are evaluating AI businesses right now, where companies often fall short, and how to build AI-driven companies positioned for scale from day one.
Kate Polozie, Partner, Woods Oviatt Gilman
Somak Chattopadhyay, Managing Director Armory Square Ventures
Kate Polozie
Partner, Woods Oviatt, Business and Finance Department
Kate Polozie is a Partner in the Woods Oviatt’s Business and Finance Department and leads its Data Privacy, Data Security and AI Governance Practice Group, where she advises founders, investors, and companies at the cutting edge of growth and innovation. With deep experience in M&A, venture capital, data privacy and AI governance, Kate regularly helps clients navigate how regulatory and data risks impact valuation, diligence, and deal outcomes. As artificial intelligence becomes core to how companies build and scale, Kate brings a practical, investor-focused perspective to some of of AI’s most underestimated challenges: data privacy, data quality and data rights. In this session, she cuts through the hype to highlight the real risks hidden in training data, third‑party tools and models, and governance gaps—and the critical questions investors should be asking before writing the check. She also highlights how the target’s industry and market may factor into the analysis. Known for delivering clear, actionable insights, Kate equips attendees to make smarter investment decisions and build AI-driven companies that are designed to scale responsibly from day one.
Somak Chattopadhyay
Managing Partner, Armory Square Ventures
Somak Chattopadhyay has been operating and investing in early-stage startups in New York State and other emerging venture regions since 1999. Before launching ASV in 2014, he was a partner at Tribeca Venture Partners (formerly Greenhill SAVP, “Tribeca”), where he was instrumental in nearly every investment of its first fund and helped launch its second fund. As a venture capitalist at Edison Ventures, Somak sourced and evaluated investments in the tech-enabled service sectors, managed deal flow referral networks and identified emerging growth companies in under-venture-invested regions across the Northeast. Somak has also held senior marketing/business development roles at Medtower, a pharmaceutical IT software company; and DealTime, a comparison shopping company that went public (NASDAQ: SHOP) and was later acquired by eBay for $620 million. He has served on the boards of numerous companies, and is currently a board member of the Upstate Capital Association of New York.
12:00 PM
From Lab to Market — Scaling NY Innovation
New York sits on one of the most powerful research ecosystems in the world—spanning institutions like Columbia University, Cornell University, University at Buffalo, and Rochester Institute of Technology. These institutions consistently generate breakthrough IP across life sciences, semiconductors, AI, and climate technologies.
But the transition from lab-scale innovation to venture-scale company remains one of the most difficult and under-optimized phases in the innovation lifecycle.
This panel brings together founders who have successfully navigated that transition—moving from:
early-stage research → licensed IP
prototype → product-market fit
grant funding → institutional capital
academic teams → commercial organizations
They will provide a candid look at:
How tech transfer really works (vs. how it’s supposed to work)
Where deals break down—licensing, equity, control
The capital gap between “proof of concept” and “venture scale”
Building teams that can execute beyond the lab
And why New York—despite its challenges—remains a compelling place to build
The goal is to move beyond success stories and into repeatable patterns, structural barriers, and actionable strategies for scaling innovation in New York.
Moderator: Paul Tolley, CTO, Excell Partners
Dr. Marek W. Kowarz, Founder, Micro Adventure Technologies
Nick Conn, Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Casana
Paul Tolley
Chief Technology Officer, Excell Partners
Paul Robert Tolley is a technology executive, entrepreneur, and venture capital leader with over three decades of experience in optics, photonics, MEMS, and advanced manufacturing commercialization. He currently serves as Chief Technology Officer at Excell Partners, where he leads technical diligence, investment evaluation, and commercialization strategy for early-stage deep technology companies. In this role, Tolley focuses on translating complex innovations into scalable businesses, supporting founders through the critical transition from concept to market adoption.
Tolley also served as CEO of Infotonics and STC MEMS and DMEA Trusted Foundry for Microelectronics, where he is driving the advancement and industrialization of MEMS-based technologies. His leadership emphasizes aligning device innovation with manufacturable processes, enabling deployment across sensing, defense, and emerging microsystems applications.
Tolley was the SUNY Polytechnic Vice Present for disruptive tecnhologies and was a driving force in the formation of AIM Photonics and later served on the board of directors for AIM and SEMATECH, the global semiconductor industry consortium.
He founded Syntec Optics, where he transformed the company into a recognized leader in precision polymer optics and photonic systems and patented HRDT technology. Under his leadership, Syntec achieved substantial growth and established a strong presence across medical devices, biometrics, defense, and advanced imaging markets through a combination of engineering innovation and scalable manufacturing.
In addition to Excell, Tolley is the founder of Stretford End Solutions LLC, a strategic advisory and consulting firm focused on semiconductor, optics, and photonics ecosystems. Through this platform, he advises companies, investors, and institutions on business development, technology commercialization, capital strategy, and market positioning—particularly in areas aligned with national initiatives such as CHIPS and advanced manufacturing revitalization. Across his career, Tolley has built a reputation for integrating deep technical expertise with pragmatic business execution. His work consistently centers on accelerating time-to-market, reducing commercialization risk, and creating durable competitive advantage in complex, capital-intensive industries.
Dr. Marek W. Kowarz
Founder, Micro Adventure Technologies
Dr. Marek W. Kowarz is an internationally recognized expert in optical MEMS, photonics systems, and advanced imaging technologies, with a career spanning industry-leading R&D organizations, commercialization centers, and entrepreneurial ventures.
He earned his Ph.D. in Optics from University of Rochester, following dual undergraduate degrees in Electrical Engineering and Physics from University of Pennsylvania. His doctoral work focused on near-field diffraction and electromagnetic wave behavior, contributing foundational insights into optical field propagation and computational optics.
Dr. Kowarz began his career at Eastman Kodak Company, where he spent over a decade (1995–2007) leading R&D efforts in optical MEMS, laser displays, imaging systems, and optical data storage. During this time, he became a Kodak Distinguished Inventor and was the primary inventor behind the company’s Grating Electromechanical Systems (GEMS) technology—an important innovation in diffractive MEMS spatial light modulation.
He later served as Principal Scientist and leadership team member at the Smart System Technology and Commercialization Center (STC), where he guided MEMS technologies from design through customer delivery, bridging the gap between research and manufacturable products.
Dr. Kowarz is also associated with entrepreneurial and commercialization efforts, including leadership roles in advanced microsystems ventures such as MicroAdventure Technologies, where he has focused on translating optical and MEMS innovations into deployable systems and commercial platforms.
Across his career, he has authored numerous technical publications and holds 75+ issued and pending patents, reflecting a sustained record of innovation in optical microsystems, laser display architectures, and photonic device engineering.
Dr. Kowarz is widely regarded for his ability to integrate fundamental optics, MEMS device physics, and system-level engineering, enabling next-generation photonics applications across imaging, sensing, and display technologies.
Nick Conn
Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Casana
Nick is the founder and chief scientific officer of Casana. Nick is trailblazing in the world of medical devices with his toilet seat-based cardiovascular monitoring system. Nick’s passion for innovation and commitment to improving patient outcomes drove him to complete his Ph.D. in Microsystems Engineering, where he first developed the technology that would ultimately become the backbone of Casana’s transformative platform. His innovative approach to medical device development, combined with his extensive knowledge of IoT and wearable technologies, has positioned Casana as a key player in the rapidly evolving healthcare landscape.
Nick specializes in custom algorithm development, ultra-low power embedded system and instrumentation design, signal processing, cardiovascular anatomy and physiology, cloud infrastructure, business development, and leadership.
1:00 PM
Lunch & Networking
2:30 PM
Main Program Begins Welcome to Golisano Institute – Ian Mortimer,President, Golisano Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship
2:40 PM
New York Business Plan Competition Finalists Announced
2:45 PM
What’s Next? Opportunities for Founders Across New York
You’ve built your idea—now where can it go? Across New York State, incredible competitions and accelerator programs exist to help founders turn ideas into real companies. Join leaders from FuzeHub, Grow-NY, Luminate, and the Griffiss Institute’s HUSTLE program as they break down what they do, the kinds of startups they’re looking for, and how you can get involved. Whether you’re looking for funding, mentorship, or your next big opportunity, this panel will show you what’s possible after the competition.
Seth Mulligan, Interim Vice President for Finance and Administration, Griffiss Institute
Patty Rechberger, Innovation Fund Manager, Fuze Hub
Amanda Reilly Pitman, Program Manager, Dairy Innovation, Center for Regional Economic Advancement, Cornell University
Interim Vice President for Finance and Administration, Griffiss Institute
Seth Mulligan specializes in developing innovation, growth and management disciplines and developing business systems, to grow organizations. In his career, Seth has been a partner to innovators as a startup incubator director, an agribusiness business development consultant, and technology transfer seed-fund operator.
Additionally, Mulligan has been an adjunct professor of Entrepreneurship and a professional trainer of entrepreneurship for transitioning US Military service women and men. When not being supporting partner dav for innovators and entrepreneurs, Seth has been an executive in two venture-capital backed startups: TCGplayer.com and StorySlab, Inc. contributing to overall corporate strategy and launching customer success, business development, and e-commerce services.
Seth’s education background is focused on public systems where he has two Masters degrees in Administration and a Bachelor degree in Political Science and Philosophy. Seth enjoys live music, travel, and following professional sports. When not at work, Seth spends time with his family and hails from Syracuse, NY.
Patty Rechberger
Innovation Fund Manager, Fuze Hub
Patty Rechberger is the Innovation Fund Manager at FuzeHub. Patty coordinates and administers activities under the Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund, from inquiries and initial submissions to reporting on metrics and program successes after project completion. She supports the advancement and growth of the Fund through the development of presentations and events and the identification of business development opportunities.
Patty has over fourteen years of experience in business administration, during which she supported growth and the identification and development of efficiencies in the private industry organizations that she worked for.
Patty holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University at Albany and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Empire State College.
Amanda Reilly Pitman
Program Manager, Dairy Innovation, Center for Regional Economic Advancement, Cornell University
Amanda Pitman is a program manager at Cornell’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement (CREA) where she oversees initiatives at the intersection of food production, entrepreneurship, and regional economic development. Since joining CREA in 2023, she has launched Dairy Runway, an entrepreneurship program supporting early-stage dairy innovators through customer discovery and prototyping training, and the Northeastern Dairy Product Innovation Competition, an inaugural accelerator supporting food entrepreneurs ready to scale value-added dairy products. She also collaborates on programming for the Grow-NY Summit, shaping content that connects entrepreneurs, researchers, and regional food system leaders.
Prior to CREA, Amanda built a career spanning the nonprofit and public sectors. She served as a managing director at Trinity Church Wall Street Philanthropies, where she helped scale annual grantmaking to over $40 million, and earlier worked in a variety of positions at Rockefeller University, Columbia University, and the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Amanda holds a graduate degree in urban planning with a focus on economic development from New York University.
Sujatha Ramanujan, PhD, Managing Director
Chief Investment Officer Luminate Accelerator
Sujatha Ramanujan is a serial entrepreneur and seasoned executive with 25 years of experience in Optics, Electronics and Clinical Devices. Dr. Ramanujan holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan, and has grown three startup businesses. Sujatha has held scientific, technical leadership, and executive positions in Chrysler Corporation, GE, Kodak, Carestream, and Intrinsiq Materials. She holds 28 issued US patents. As a corporate investor for Kodak, then later working with regional investment councils, she provided guidance to startups, and M&A strategies. Sujatha is currently the Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director of Luminate, an investment fund and educational program under NextCorps. Luminate has the privilege of investing in and advancing 80 photonics companies and bringing them to NY. Sujatha holds and has held board seats with Optica, and numerous optics companies. Of the 80 companies sponsored by Luminate, 90% have a greater than 10 year survival rate with several exits.
3:20 PM
NYBPC Overview & Judges Introduction
Jennifer Tegan, Managing Director, NY Ventures
Vikram Agrawal President, CEO, & Co-Founder of Levrx
David Brown, Managing Director, Impellent Ventures
Marnie LaVigne, PhD, President and CEO, Launch NY
Jennifer Tegan
Managing Director, NY Ventures
Jennifer Tegan is the Managing Director of Empire State Development’s New York Ventures, where she oversees over $320 million in investment programs aimed at fueling New York’s startup ecosystem. Since joining in 2020, she has managed diverse direct and indirect investment funds including the NYS Innovation Venture Capital Fund and the Emerging and Regional Manager Partner Fund (a fund of funds).
An experienced investor and advocate, Jennifer previously spent 18 years as a partner at Cayuga Venture Fund. She has served on the board of the National Venture Capital Association and held leadership roles with Tompkins Financial Corporation and the Upstate Capital Association of New York. Jennifer holds an MBA from Cornell University, an MS from the University of Cincinnati, and a BA from Smith College.
Vikram Agrawal
President, CEO, & Co-Founder of Levrx
Vikram Agrawal serves as President, CEO, & Co-Founder of Levrx. In his role, Vikram is responsible for the vision, product strategy, and business development. Vikram’s previous experience in business and information technology fields are critical to the success of Levrx.
Prior to Levrx, Vikram served as President and CEO of Etransmedia, a software company that provided solutions for electronic health records, patient engagement, practice management, and revenue cycles. Previous to Etransmedia, Vikram worked as Program Manager at Indian Telephone Industries and Groupe Bull, India. He served as Director of Business Development for R.K. Enterprises in Cochin, India.
Vikram earned his Master’s degree in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from the University of Bangalore in India.
David Brown
Managing Director, Impellent Ventures
David Brown is the Founding Managing Partner of Impellent Ventures, a preseed / seed stage venture capital firm based in UNY that invests nationally. In addition to capital, the firm focuses on connecting startups with the nation’s best founders, mentors, and downstream capital resources.
Mr. Brown has been a community builder, startup investor and operator, and mentor for over a decade. He has supported hundreds of companies, held events for over 14,000 tech leaders per annum, and has applied venture principles to both for profit and nonprofit entities. Mr. Brown’s work has been affiliated with programs such as Techstars, MassChallenge, Harvard iLab, and Babson College and has been covered in many national publications.
Mr. Brown is a boomerang to Rochester from Boston, where he held roles as the Vice President of Innovation Leadership for the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, Director of Partnerships at ZappRx, a healthcare IT startup that has raised $42M before sale, and as the Executive Director of Technology Underwriting Greater Good (TUGG), the philanthropic arm of Boston’s technology startup ecosystem. He is also a Venture Partner and Limited Partner in several prominent national venture funds, and the co-founder of the Finger Lakes Summit.
Mr. Brown graduated with a BA in psychology and leadership studies, from Williams College. He also holds an MBA in entrepreneurship, summa cum laude, from Babson College.
In his spare time, aside from chasing around his two young boys, he sits on numerous nonprofit boards and economic development counsels and is an avid skier and golfer.
Marnie LaVigne, PhD
President and CEO, Launch NY
Dr. Marnie LaVigne has spent more than 30 years in both the private and public sectors creating new products and start-up businesses, driving innovation and economic growth in high-tech industries, such as life sciences, informatics, and advanced manufacturing. Her passion for working with start-ups took root from her experience launching health informatics businesses with colleagues in the 1990’s as she finished her doctoral work at the University of Rochester, which resulted in growing two health informatics companies with more than 100 employees and two initial public offerings (IPOs).
In July 2014, she became the President and CEO of Launch NY, a 36-county venture development organization that she co-founded with other Buffalo boosters and whose mission is to identify, support and invest in high-growth, high-impact companies and catalyze the entrepreneurial culture of Upstate New York. Previously, she led economic development efforts involving work with hundreds of businesses at UB as Associate Vice President for Economic Development from 2012 to 2014 and Director of Business Development from 2005 until 2012 at the NYS Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences and the UB Center for Advanced Biomedical and Bioengineering Technology yielding economic impact with more than a 60:1 return-oninvestment. In addition to her for prfit start-up experience prior to UB, Dr. LaVigne also spearheaded product development initiatives for larger corporations in managed care (e.g., Aetna), pharmaceuticals (Bristol-Myers Squibb), medical devices (Welch Allyn), and medical informatics (Medscape/MedicaLogic, now GE and WebMD).
Dr. LaVigne has a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and a doctorate in clinical psychology, both from the University of Rochester. She is chair of the New York State Economic Development Council (NYSEDC) and a member of the Board of Directors for Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, the State Science and Technology Institute (SSTI), Western New York Venture Association, and numerous advisory boards. As lifelong residents of Buffalo, Marnie and her husband, Rob Fohl, are avid downhill skiers and sailors who are blessed with two adult children, a son-in-law, and six grandchildren.
3:30 PM
New York Business Plan Competition Finalist Presentations
5:00 PM
Keynote Speaker
Ed Mitzen, Serial Entrepreneur, Philanthropist and Co-Founder of the Business for Good Foundation
Ed Mitzen
Co-Founder of the Business for Good Foundation
Ed Mitzen, Co-Founder of the Business for Good Foundation, is a visionary entrepreneur and the architect behind many successful businesses. A passionate advocate for transformative social responsibility, he has been recognized on the Worthy 100 list of global visionaries and the Albany Business Review’s Power 50. Ed is also the author of More Than a Number and Wealthy and White, leveraging his platform to address economic inequity and ethical leadership. Along with his wife, Lisa, he was honored with the Capital Region Chamber’s “ChangeMakers Award” for his commitment to community development.
