Four teams from Geneseo's VentureWorks program did well in Albany in the final round of the New York Business Plan Competition.
GENESEO, N.Y. – Four teams from SUNY Geneseo’s VentureWorks entrepreneurial training program have won awards across three categories in the final round of the seventh annual New York Business Plan Competition in Albany.
Winning second place and $5,000 in the Energy and Sustainability category was Phoenix Pioneer Products (fire start log generator for upcycling paper waste).
Undergraduate excellence recognition awards went to Hyper-Dry (solar-thermal clothes dryers) in the Energy and Sustainability category; FiveNorth (fair trade chocolates) in the Social Entrepreneurship category; and BallHawk (smart golf ball finder) in the Nano/Advanced Technology category.
“I’m delighted about the strong showing of our teams in this year’s competition,” said Judith Albers, the VanArsdale Chair in Entrepreneurship at Geneseo. “It was an excellent and successful effort and the experience for the students was invaluable.”
Geneseo was among 86 teams from 27 colleges and universities competing across six tracks. Competitors came from each of the state’s 10 economic development regions, based on Gov. Cuomo’s Regional Development Councils that aim to support and expand economic opportunities across New York state.
A panel of national venture capitalists, angel investors and investment bankers selected the winning teams and offered invaluable feedback for each team that took part in the competition.
Geneseo’s entrepreneurship program was established in 2013 with a historic $2.5 million gift – the largest in college history – by Charles L. “Bud” VanArsdale, former president of the Bank of Castile.
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