Chancellor King Announces Copprium and Sangali $50,000 Winners of the SUNY Startup Summer School Class of 2024 Demo Day

August 12, 2024

Photos From the Event Available Here


Albany, NY – State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today announced Copprium and Sangali are the $50,000 winners of the SUNY Startup Summer School (S4) Class of 2024 Demo Day, a competitive program designed to showcase the most promising technologies and startups being developed by participants that included a historic enrollment of 397 SUNY students, faculty, and staff in emerging technologies fields spanning 28 different SUNY campuses. The SUNY Startup Summer School, now in its sixth year, offers entrepreneurial education and training to help students and faculty secure the initial funding needed to get their technology to market. 

The two winners of the SUNY Startup Summer School Class of 2024 Demo Day are: 

  • Copprium, University at Buffalo  
    • Founded by University at Buffalo graduate Brian Bischoff; technology invented by Dr. Luis De Jesús Báez, Assistant Professor, University at Buffalo Department of Chemistry; Copprium manufactures high-performance conductive copper-based ink solutions that perform better, and cost less than the silver inks used in printable flexible electronics.
  • Sangali, University at Albany
    • Headed by co-founders Dr. Allix Coon, post-doctoral researcher, and Dr. Rabi Ann Musah, Associate Vice Provost for Learning Commons and Williams-Raycheff Endowed Professor; Sangali provides rapid and accurate wood species identification testing that enables the lumber industry to certify materials along the entire supply chain, verifying the wood has been legally harvested and reducing delays in the movement of goods.

In addition to the capital received from the SUNY Technology Accelerator Fund S4 Catalyst Investment, Copprium and Sangali will receive additional support from SUNY to identify grant-funding opportunities and write strong proposals, allowing the teams to continue commercializing their technology. The companies will also receive business mentoring support from SUNY’s entrepreneurs-in-residence to further develop their business models and go-to-market strategies.

"The innovative research conducted at SUNY is an essential cornerstone of the system’s commitment to be the best system of public higher education in the country. Across the system, SUNY researchers consistently strive to address society’s most pressing challenges and provide valuable opportunities for their students to do so," said SUNY Chancellor King. "The S4 program is an incredible avenue for SUNY researchers to learn how to bring their research to market and develop solutions for urgent issues. Congratulations to this year’s awardees, Copprium and Sangali, for their outstanding selection. Your research, along with that of your colleagues, are shining examples of the strong research capabilities of SUNY."

SUNY Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost and SUNY Research Foundation President Melur "Ram" Ramasubramanian said, "Thanks to historic investment in research and innovation at SUNY, our system’s research portfolio continues to grow. S4 advances that growth by providing researchers with the tools to effectively pitch their innovations so that one day, what they’ve discovered or created can make a positive impact on the world. To the founders of Copprium and Sangali, congratulations on being named the winners of this year’s S4 Demo Day. We look forward to your continued progress."

University at Albany President Havidán Rodríguez said, "I am so proud to have a University at Albany-based project among the winners of SUNY’s Startup Summer School Class of 2024 Demo Day competition. Sangali, led by co-founders Dr. Allix Coon and Dr. Rabi Ann Musah, has incredible potential to stop illegal logging and, in turn, preserve endangered plant and wildlife species and stop forest clearing that contributes to climate change. Drs. Coon and Musah have made major contributions to science through their work. The potential for their innovative technology is limitless."

University at Buffalo Vice President for Research and Economic Development and SUNY Distinguished Professor Venu Govindaraju said, "Congratulations Copprium! For decades, UB has fostered technological advancements to transform cutting-edge ideas into viable, market-ready solutions—a testament to our thriving entrepreneurial culture. Our incubation, mentorship and seed funds have enabled startups, like Copprium, to flourish, reshape industries and contribute to the prosperity of our region."

This year’s panel of judges included: 

  • Olivia Goldstein – Chief Executive Officer, Upstate Venture Connect
  • Rohit Gupta – Managing Director, Future Communities Capital
  • Seth Mulligan – Chief Operations Officer, Griffiss Institute
  • Josh Nelson – Director, NY Ventures Pre-Seed and Seed Fund, Empire State Development
  • Patty Rechberger – Innovation Fund Manager, FuzeHub
  • Sonya Smith – State Director, New York Small Business Development Centers

All S4 participating teams will continue to receive coaching and mentoring from the successful entrepreneurs and seasoned executives included in SUNY Venture Advisors to support additional business development and commercialization in the coming months. 

S4 is an annual business accelerator program that aims to identify, educate, and build strong entrepreneurial teams to bring SUNY technologies to market. The program offers virtual accelerated entrepreneurial education and training for participants to help secure the initial funding needed to get their advances to users. S4 participation has increased from 84 students, faculty, and staff participants in 2019 to 397 participants this year, representing 120% annualized program growth.

Across SUNY, campuses are conducting leading research and inspiring the next generation of scientists and innovators. The SUNY system enables countless collaborative possibilities in science and engineering, with a network of world-renowned researchers and pioneering R&D facilities, tools, and capabilities.

SUNY supports a research ecosystem that cultivates innovation and entrepreneurship across key areas including artificial intelligence, clean energy, biotechnology, longevity, substance addiction, quantum computing, environmental health, and resiliency. Driving social impact, enhancing human wellbeing, and stimulating economic growth, the SUNY Research Foundation 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 partnerships. 

About the State University of New York
The State University of New York 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 2023, 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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