Entrepreneurs and investment professionals gathered at the Adelphi Hotel on July 17-18 for the Saratoga Forum, a dynamic event aimed at fostering connections and discussing pivotal industry topics.
Day 1 Highlights
The first day began with curated networking opportunities, including a VC Lunch co-hosted by Samer Yousif of Insight Partners Vision Fund and sponsored by Nixon Peabody. Entrepreneurs from the food, beverage and consumer packaged goods sector engaged in a roundtable discussion led by David Holmes of TÖST Beverages, while healthcare founders participated in discussions hosted by Win Thurlow, Executive Director of LifeSciencesNY.
The main event program kicked off with a networking reception featuring TOST, a non-alcoholic sparkling beverage, presented by Brooks Addington, CEO of TOST Beverages. The forum’s first discussion featured insights from David Holmes and Brooks Addington, around the entrepreneur/investor/advisor dynamic followed by another networking session. The day concluded with attendees joining the Saratoga Social at the Palette Community, an event open to the public.
Day 2 Highlights
Day two began with a panel on the State of Private Capital in New York. Speakers included Somak Chattopadhyay (Armory Square Ventures), Frank McEvoy (NY Common Retirement Fund), Cian Cotter (Insight Partners), and David Brown (Impellent Ventures), moderated by Heidi Knoblauch (NY Ventures).
A conversation on Building Local Companies spotlighted the story of Crane Paper’s acquisition by Todd Kletter, who aims to revitalize the historic paper manufacturer. Todd Kletter and Brian Murphy of Couch White led this engaging session.
The penultimate discussion focused on a new fund launched by ecosystem stakeholders to boost startups’ access to capital in Upstate New York, hosted by Rami Katz (Excel Partners), Nick Querques (SUNY RF), and Jennifer Tegan (NY Ventures). The final session explored building useful AI tools for businesses, with contributions from Abe Sultan (EY, formerly Nuvalence) and Erica Choi (Key Bank).
The Saratoga Forum concluded with attendees visiting the Saratoga Racetrack for a summer afternoon at the races to wrap up a successful forum.
Big thanks to our event sponsors:
CNY Biotech Accelerator, Center for Economic Growth, Armory Square Ventures, Nixon Peabody, Couch White, Lost and Profound, Launch NY, Pine Street Capital Partners, Tech Valley Center of Gravity.
A special thank you to our major supporters who underwrite our annual programs:
New York Ventures, NYSERDA, SUNY Research Foundation, Key Bank, Withum, Schwartz Heslin Group, The Bonadio Group, Bluehenge Capital Partners, Congruity HR, Lakelet Capital, Hamilton Lane.
The Saratoga Forum is Upstate Capital’s annual event to celebrate the Board of Directors, Annual Sponsors, and Upstate Capital Members. If you’d like to become a member and receive invitations to members-only events, sign up today!