News

OWL AI, a client company in RIT’s Venture Creations incubator, was a winner in the New York state-funded Luminate NY accelerator program. OWL AI was among 126 applicants from 22 countries that rose to the top, winning a $100,000 prize and entry into Cohort 4 of the program.

A new addition to the heart of Rochester’s Downtown Innovation Zone—RIT’s Venture Creations technology business incubator—is designed to enhance the synergy between the vibrancy and resources of the city and the region’s newest start-up companies.

Council Rock, a graduate company from RIT’s Venture Creations business incubator, has received $7 million Series A funding, led by Grand Oaks Capital, the investment firm founded by businessman and philanthropist B. Thomas Golisano. Motorola Solutions, and other private investors, also participated in the investment round.

The move, expected to be complete in December, will allow the incubators’ client companies to work in space designed for positive member “collisions” resulting in close and fruitful collaborations. In addition, the move further advances the commitment from RIT leadership to have a presence in downtown Rochester.

Spectrum News features George Zheng ’15 (mechanical engineering technology), co-founder of Leep Foods.

Two companies associated with RIT’s Venture Creations technology business incubator have advanced to the round two finals of the Grow-NY competition. Grow-NY is a food innovation and agriculture technology business challenge focused on enhancing the emerging food, beverage and agriculture innovation cluster in Central New York, the Finger Lakes, and Southern Tier regions.

The Rochester Beacon talks to Rich Notargiacomo, venture coach, Venture Creations, and Nabil Nasr, associate provost and founding director of the Golisano Institute for Sustainability, about new clean energy companies.

RIT’s Venture Creations business incubator has resumed operations as part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s reopening plan. Under New York state guidelines, Venture Creations staff, resident clients and resident graduate companies must provide administrators with a COVID-19 safe operation plan.

Rochester-based company New 3D Technologies (N3T) has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Air Force to build the next generation of glasses-free 3D displays. The technology company, formerly DTI, specializes in autostereoscopic displays, which do not require any special eyewear to see the 3D effect, and is part of RIT’s Venture Creations business incubator.

A game design and development company, a mobile app that identifies resources for mental health support, software that monitors power line losses and line health, and a company developing an affordable wind turbine for building rooftops are the newest members of RIT’s Venture Creations technology business incubator.

Two companies associated with RIT’s Venture Creations business incubator are playing significant roles in the COVID-19 response. Potsdam Sensors Corp. has ramped up production of its technology that helps keep the air cleaner and safer in hospitals. And Turbett Surgical is donating bacterial filtration material ideal for facemasks for second-line workers.

Rochester-based business consultant and former Xerox executive Katherine O’Brien has been hired as the newest coach at RIT’s Venture Creations technology business incubator. Her expertise is in strategic and tactical planning, product design and commercialization, process improvement, business development, research and development, sales and marketing and project and program management.