Syracuse Students Win $100,000 Biz Plan Competition Prize

May 1, 2017

Syracuse University students Josh Aviv and Jaydeep Sathe receive $100,000 for the first place finish of their company SparkCharge at the New York Business Plan Competition at SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Albany on Friday, April 28, 2017, at SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Albany.SparkCharge is a virtual member of  The Tech Garden’s Clean Tech Center.

The student startup competition is in its eighth year and gives out $500,000 in cash and additional business services to the winners. SEFCU, the Albany-based credit union, is the title sponsor of the event, which is hosted by SUNY Poly and the University at Albany.


This year’s final round featured 103 student teams from across the state, including many from the Capital Region. The winning team from Syracuse was led by Joshua Aviv, the founder and CEO of a startup called SparkCharge that is developing a portable electric vehicle battery charger that can fit in the trunk of a car or be stored in a building.

In addition to the grand prize, SparkCharge also won a $10,000 first-place prize for the clean technology category, one of six categories including advanced technology, social entrepreneurship/nonprofit, information technology/software, products, and services. NYSERDA, the state’s renewable energy development agency, sponsored the clean tech category.
Second-place winners for each category were also given $5,000, and third-place winners received $1,500.

Although no Capital Region student teams posted first- or second-place finishes, a student team from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy running a startup called Sanguine Diagnostics won third place in the advanced technology category.

Also, students from Hudson Valley Community College in Troy were part of a student team with students from the University at Buffalo and Clarkson University that won the Undergraduate Excellence Award in the product category. That team won for a startup called StairSafe.Since the competition began in 2010, more than 2,100 student teams from 75 colleges and universities in the state have been awarded more than $2.3 million in cash and services.
[email protected] • 518-454-5504 • @larryrulison

Article from Time Union: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/​

GNY Cohort 9 Applications Open!

THE WORLD’S LARGEST BUSINESS ACCELERATOR FOR UNCREWED SYSTEMS IS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

Be Inspired!

From hands-on workshops and pitch nights to networking mixers and industry events, INSPYRE Innovation Hub is where ideas ignite and connections turn into opportunity.

Accepting New Clients!

Be a Client. Build What’s Next. With tailored client tiers, mentorship, startup support, and a community that shows up, this is where ideas become companies.

Related Articles

Meet the Team

Meet the Team

Meet Brandon Mastrangelo: Senior Business Advisor,  Accountability Partner and Guitar Hero 1. How do you help clients in our programs?👋 Brandon: I work 1:1 with clients to create clear 12-month business goals, then help them stay on track. I’m kind...

BOLD Fellowship Students Visit INSPYRE Innovation Hub

BOLD Fellowship Students Visit INSPYRE Innovation Hub

Last month we had the pleasure of welcoming a group of students from Bosnia participating in the BOLD Fellowship Program to our space. We hosted a Founders & Entrepreneurs Presentation and Q&A session in the lounge, where Manu Lubrano, CEO and...

Say hello to BQP

Say hello to BQP

We’re thrilled to welcome BQP (BosonQ Psi) as a new client at the Innovation Hub! BQP is redefining what's possible in high-performance computing by harnessing quantum technology to break through the speed-accuracy limits of traditional simulation methods. Learn more...