On July 14, 2022, Upstate Capital hosted Invest NY: Future of Air and Space at the Innovare Advancement Center at Griffiss Institute.
The Invest NY program, sponsored by NYSTAR and produced by Upstate Capital, is a series of events designed to highlight innovation in various industries across New York. Upstate Capital connects investors with startups to facilitate access to capital for early-stage companies. NYSTAR, a division of Empire State Development, supports technology and innovation in manufacturing and industry.
This event would not have been possible without our event sponsors and partners: NYSTAR, Innovare Advancement Center, GENIUS NY, Decisive Point and Starburst Ventures.
The program began with 11 companies that are innovating in the aerospace and defense sectors in New York.
Next, we had Sydney Bagrou, VP of Tech Banking at Grasshopper Bank, moderate a panel with Noel Goddard of Qunnect, David Crouse of Phoebus and Joshua Riedy of Airtonomy. The CEOs shared their experiences with capitalizing startups in quantum computing, mid-layer software, and optoelectronic products, from initial research with non-dilutive SBIR funding to raising $15M in venture capital.
Ken Stewart, President and CEO of Nuair, talked about what’s happening in the local ecosystem for uncrewed systems, and current dynamics in the industry, including the regulatory environment, hurdles to advancement and current and future trends.
Finally, we heard from Clayton Besch of The NYS Innovation Venture Capital Fund, Thomas Hendrix of Decisive Point and John Stack of Canaccord Genuity as they gave capital providers’ perspectives on investing in air and space. This conversation was moderated by Asher Kraut of Starburst Ventures.
After the content, guests enjoyed networking during the Innovare Summer Soiree.
To see the event photos, please click here.