Chancellor Malatras Announces Expansion of SUNY for All Campaign to Include Free Startup Summer School to Help Prospective Entrepreneurs Commercialize Breakthrough Technology
April 26, 2021
Registration Open Now for 11-Week Virtual Training Program; Culminates With Participants Pitching Their Technology or Venture; Two Winners Earn $10,000 Seed Investments
Expansion Builds On and Diversifies Offerings Within Signature SUNY for All Campaign to Support Prospective Entrepreneurs with Plans to Create New York's Next Generation of Small Businesses
Albany, NY – State University of New York Chancellor Jim Malatras announced today that the SUNY for All campaign is expanding to include SUNY Startup Summer School (S4), which is designed to help seasoned and prospective entrepreneurs commercialize breakthrough technology.
Registration is open now for the free, 11-week S4 virtual training program, which includes instructional webinars led by renowned speakers, accelerated Innovation Corps entrepreneurial training by experienced coaches, and proposal development support from experts who specialize in working with researchers and startups. Anyone with entrepreneurial ambition is encouraged to enroll. S4—which runs from early June through mid-August—culminates with a Demo Day celebration where participants pitch their technology or venture, with the top two proposals earning a $10,000 Technology Accelerator Fund Catalyst Investment.
Applications are being accepted now through May 21. The program is operated through the SUNY Research Foundation. Approximately 130 people participated last year. There is no limit to the number of participants.
The addition of S4 builds on and diversifies offerings within Chancellor Malatras' signature SUNY for All campaign, which expands access and breaks down barriers to educational programs for more New Yorkers—no matter where they are in their educational journey. It connects them with high-demand skills that match continually evolving workforce needs. To date, SUNY for All includes the free Online Training Center operated through SUNY's Educational Opportunity Centers, automatic food assistance for EOC students, partnerships with food banks across the state, and application fee waivers for students from underrepresented and low-income communities.
"By adding SUNY Startup Summer School to the SUNY for All campaign, we are sending a crucial message that expanding educational access is a priority issue across SUNY's entire spectrum of programs. Whether you are a lifelong entrepreneur on the cusp of a big discovery, a working professional looking to earn an additional credential, or someone put out of work by the pandemic and forced to change careers—SUNY has a free, easily accessible program that meets your needs," said Chancellor Malatras. "S4 is an incredible opportunity for entrepreneurs interested in commercializing technology. Whether you are a veteran of startups or someone interested in exploring the sector for the first time, S4 can help you navigate your entrepreneurial journey—an inclusive approach that matches our SUNY for All philosophy."
SUNY Board Trustee Robert J. Duffy said, "As the New York State economy rebounds from the pandemic, we will look to our entrepreneurs to develop the next generation of industries and technologies across our state. SUNY is one of the greatest resources to that end, and through seed funding, grants, and educational programs like the SUNY Startup Summer School, we will ensure that more creative thinkers get their ideas to market."
Jeff M. Cheek, President of the SUNY Research Foundation, said, "S4 promotes the entrepreneurial spirit that lives and thrives in classrooms, labs, and minds at SUNY campuses all across New York State. In partnership with the speakers and instructors who have committed their expertise and experience, we are excited to once again offer this comprehensive training program that is specially designed to ignite breakthrough research and accelerate commercialization throughout the entire SUNY enterprise. S4 supports SUNY faculty and students wherever they are in their entrepreneurial journey to help them bring their innovations from the lab into market where they can transform people's lives."
Kambiz Ghazinour, Associate Professor at SUNY Canton and Co-Founder of CyberSpara, said, "The best part of the S4 program was that every participant had the chance to work directly with industry leading experts and seasoned mentors one to one. It was invaluable because they supported me in a capacity that I never would have received as a faculty member. The experience helped me realize I wanted to start CyberSpara to commercialize my research and it has accelerated our new venture's development from day one."
Ameya Kale, Stony Brook University alumna and Co-Founder of Mechanismic, said, "S4 was a game-changing experience for me and my startup, Mechanismic. It provided access to experienced mentors as well as proposal writing and development support that was critical in positioning us to attract additional funding to further develop our technology. This program is a no-brainer for any student or post doc who is actively looking to bring their technology to market or simply wants to learn more about the commercialization process."
About SUNY for All
Through the first phase of the SUNY for All campaign more than 4,200 people have registered for additional information, more than 800 have applied, and more than 500 have enrolled in a program within SUNY's free Online Training Center. Students who complete any one of the Online Training Center certificates with a high school diploma or high school equivalency credential will be automatically accepted to any of SUNY's 30 community colleges or SUNY Empire State College, SUNY Canton, or SUNY Delhi. The application fee is also waived.
The launching of the free Online Training Center represented the very first phase of the broader, student-focused SUNY for All campaign, which now also includes:
- Automatic application for the SNAP program for eligible EOC students
- Connection to food banks to fight food insecurity
- Outreach and support for high school seniors eligible for the Educational Opportunity Program, including application fee waivers.
- EntreSkills through SBDC
About the SUNY Research Foundation
The SUNY Research Foundation (RF) is the largest comprehensive university-connected research foundation in the country and supports a vibrant research ecosystem that cultivates innovation and entrepreneurship across multiple key areas including Artificial Intelligence, Clean Energy, Biotechnology, Longevity, Substance Addiction, Nextgen Quantum Computing, Environmental Health, and Resiliency.
Driving social impact, enhancing human wellbeing and stimulating economic growth, the RF provides SUNY's 30 state-operated campuses with an infrastructure of people, technology, and processes that enables faculty to write and submit grant proposals to agencies, foundations, and companies; establish contracts and manage funding awarded to run campus-based research projects; protect and commercialize intellectual property created within those projects; and establish enduring partnerships that shape the future.
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2022, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
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Holly Liapis
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