News
Johan Klarin

Three start-up companies graduated from RIT’s Venture Creations business incubator with a commitment to continuing to engage local and regional suppliers, expand labor forces locally and nationally, and impact the regional economy.

The ability to see through body tissue may sound like something from a science fiction movie, but a start-up company in RIT’s Venture Creations business incubator has developed a device that makes this possible.

Student Janessa Steenberg’s plant-based Parmesan-style cheese start-up company, Panacheeza, has earned her a spot in Venture Creations’ Ignite initiative, which gives promising entrepreneurs the power they need to become successful business owners.

Local businessman and entrepreneur Bernard Kozel was known for having as much passion for helping others develop their businesses as he did for developing his own. Kozel’s dedication to supporting his partners, employees, and entrepreneurs in creating success is the inspiration behind several gifts to RIT.

On June 16, five business technology start-up companies graduated from RIT’s Venture Creations business incubator with a commitment to continuing to engage local and regional suppliers, expand labor forces locally and nationally, and impact the regional economy.

Two member companies at RIT’s Venture Creations business incubator are continuing their upward trajectory with the help of two multimillion-dollar investments: Casana, a healthcare technology firm that is reinventing in-home health monitoring, and Owl Autonomous Imaging (Owl AI), which is developing monocular 3D thermal imaging and ranging solutions for automotive active safety systems.

Entrepreneurship expert Johan Klarin comes to Venture Creations from Columbia University, where he served as manager of the NYSERDA-funded Entrepreneur-in-Residence program, assisting clean-tech startups in New York state. Prior to that, he was managing director of Viaduct Inc., a consulting company focused on Western New York startups.