Albany, NY – SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) and AT&T announced that 10 finalists have been named at the conclusion of the Capital Region semifinal round of the eighth annual New York Business Plan Competition which was supported by AT&T and hosted at SUNY Poly’s Albany NanoTech Complex, in conjunction with other similar regional competitions held around the state, including the Mohawk Valley semifinal which was held at SUNY Poly’s Utica campus. In addition to a team of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) students who pitched a business plan that earned them the “Capital Region Cup” for a diagnostics platform aimed at addressing animal population health, judges also selected two SUNY Poly student-led startups with plans related to clean energy innovations to compete at the final round for the grand prize at the SUNY Poly Albany campus.

The Capital Region semifinal competition drew interest from more than 20 teams of students who currently attend five accredited New York colleges and universities. The teams that pitched their industry-disrupting business proposals at SUNY Poly all had a chance to reach the final round and win part of the more than $500,000 in total prizes that are available to selected winners this year. Semifinal round competitions in nine other regions across New York have taken place or are scheduled to take place in the following week, culminating in the selection of New York State’s top student teams that will attend the final on April 28 when they will go head-to-head for the grand prize.

SUNY Poly startup Lux Semiconductors was selected to compete in the final in the clean energy track. The team has plans for an improved roll-to-roll recrystallization process for high-quality thin-film photovoltaics, which can lead to more efficient solar cells that can meet the needs of certain energy consumers. Additionally, a team of SUNY Poly students who founded ComSens pitched an advanced sensor that can be used to more efficiently record and transmit emissions data for energy producers, for example.

Sanguine Diagnostics, led by students from RPI, took the top spot in the Advanced Technology track, earning the “Capital Region Cup” for its rapid, low-cost, point-of-care diagnostics platform which offers large scale data to map disease trajectories in animal populations and assure effective distribution of disease management resources.

Powered by AT&T, AT&T’s support for this event grows out of the company’s commitment to foster local innovation by providing entrepreneurs with the resources they need to positively impact their communities and strengthen the growing entrepreneurial and innovation economy of the Capital Region. The New York Business Plan Competition closely aligns with AT&T’s dedication to advancing education, strengthening communities and improving lives. Through its community initiatives and collaborations, AT&T has a long history of investing in projects that create learning opportunities; promote academic and economic achievement; or address community needs.

“It is an honor to collaborate with SUNY Polytechnic Institute to support the New York Business Competition Capital Region Semifinals and to provide young local entrepreneurs the opportunity to showcase their intellect, passion, and ingenuity,” said Marissa Shorenstein, president of AT&T New York. “AT&T sees it as essential to encourage and foster the next generation of business pioneers so they can positively impact their communities and strengthen the Capital Region’s growing innovation economy and promote economic development throughout New York."

Winners of the Capital Region’s semifinal round by category include:

· Capital Region Cup Top Team—Sanguine Diagnostics, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

· Advanced Technology

o Sanguine Diagnostics - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

o Advanced Modular Instruments – University at Albany

· Clean Technology

o Lux Semiconductors – SUNY Polytechnic Institute

o ComSens – SUNY Polytechnic Institute

· Social Entrepreneurship/Non-Profit

o Let’s Chat About It – Siena College

· Information Technology/Software

o TeachMe, LLC – Siena College

o Inky Community – Siena College · Products

o Finest Tide Oysters – Siena College

o JobLights – Siena College

· Services

o Critiquer – University at Albany Team Name – College

The finalists advance to the statewide final competition on Friday, April 28th, to be held in Albany, NY. Supported by Title Sponsor SEFCU, Clean Technology Track Sponsor NYSERDA; Friend Sponsors Anchor Agency Insurance, Capital Bank, Center for Economic Growth, National Grid, and the Research Foundation for The State University of New York; Supporting In-Kind Sponsors Heslin Rothenberg Farley & Mesiti P.C., Schwartz Heslin Group, Inc., and Troyweb Consulting; and Friend In-Kind Sponsors M+W Group, Crossgates Mall, CDTA, EYP, and Danforth; and supported by SkipsoLabs, this unique, student-centered competition has become the largest of its kind in New York State and one of the biggest in the United States. It started with only one dozen teams competing for nearly $30,000 in prizes in 2010, and the competition now offers $500,000 in prizes to hundreds of teams annually.

Currently in its eighth year, the New York Business Plan Competition enables each student-led team to explain their innovation in a set amount of time, with teams competing against others whose products, services, or developed ideas fall within a similar category, or track. Participants gain valuable experience going before panels of national venture capitalists, angel investors, investment bankers, and seasoned entrepreneurs who serve as judges; they provide the student teams with important feedback and a chance to understand how their pitch might be received in the “real world.” More information about the 2017 New York Business Plan Competition can be found at: http://www.nybplan.com.

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SUNY Polytechnic Institute. SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) is New York’s globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem, formed from the merger of the SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering and SUNY Institute of Technology. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience and nanoeconomics programs at its Albany location 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/Rome location. 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 over 300 corporate partners. For information visit www.sunycnse.com and www.sunypoly.edu.

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Media Contact: Steve Ference, Associate Vice President For Marketing and Communications­ (518) 956-7319 | sference@sunypoly.edu