UPDATE: SUNY Poly is proud to announce that at the final competition, Green Gallery, led by SUNY Poly students Joy Valencia, Kelly Berger, and Nicholas Miller, won the "SEFCU Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprise" category. The team pitched its online farmers market that connects farmers with customers. They had won the "Best of the Mohawk Valley" and 1st place in the AgTech & Food category at the regional competition.


For Release:           Immediate – April 14, 2021
Contact:                  Steve Ference, Director of University Communications | (518) 429-7742 | sference@sunypoly.edu

UTICA, NY - Four student teams from SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly), in addition to two teams comprised of SUNY Poly students collaborating with students from other colleges in the Mohawk Valley region, are celebrating winning in four different categories as part of the 2021 Regional Mohawk Valley Business Plan Competition. The event took place virtually once again this year, with the winners now invited to compete at the upcoming New York Business Plan Competition.

Notably, one team, “Conch CBD,” founded by SUNY Poly student Nik Hameister and Utica College student William Carroll, received the $2,000 Grand Prize. The company offers topical skin care products infused with a broad-spectrum CBD.

In addition, “Green Gallery,” led by SUNY Poly students Joy Valencia, Kelly Berger, and Nicholas Miller won “Best of the Mohawk Valley,” taking home $1,000 after pitching its online farmers market enabling farmers to reach a variety of consumers. Additionally, the business provides marketing and delivery services to facilitate the interactions between farmers and consumers.

The teams with SUNY Poly students made up a majority of the regional winners:

• Conch CBD (Grand Prize; 1st Place – Education & Well-Being)
• Green Gallery (Best of the Mohawk Valley; 1st Place – AgTech & Food)
• CivilT (1st Place – Software & Services)
  • An opensource, community-based social media company seeking to provide a civil, democratic Facebook alternative. (Founders: Edward McDermid, Jacob Pelerossi)
• HAP (2nd Place – Software & Services)
  • Services that provide a well-planned date, whether with friends or family. (Founders: Randolph Butler, Kim Mai, Andrew Thompson)
• 4Vezza (1st Place – Consumer & Business Products)
  • A company that aims to revolutionize the cosmetology world through an app-based platform connecting service providers and customers. (Founders: Joel Ruiz, Sebastian Sanchez, Tommy Lucas)
• Odyssey (2nd Place – Consumer & Business Products)
  • A high fashion streetwear brand. (Founder: Michael Peterson)

All winning teams qualify to continue to the state-level New York Business Plan Competition which will also be held virtually this year; students have until April 25 to submit recorded business plan pitches. The top three teams in each track at the finals will be invited to pitch during a live session featuring Q&A with a panel of judges. The final winners are scheduled to be announced at an online ceremony May 7, 2021.

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About SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly)
SUNY Poly is New York’s globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience programs at its Albany campus, and undergraduate and graduate degrees in technology, including engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, and the engineering technologies; professional studies, including business, communication, and nursing; and arts and sciences, including natural sciences, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences at its Utica campus; thriving athletic, recreational, and cultural programs, events, and activities complement the campus experience. As the world’s most advanced, university-driven research enterprise, SUNY Poly boasts billions of dollars in high-tech investments and hundreds of corporate partners since its inception. For information visit www.sunypoly.edu.