​GENIUS NY Unmanned Systems Startups Pitch At First Investor Day in NYC

The six current GENIUS NY teams had a successful trip to New York City last week as they pitched in front of a room full of investors. The teams have come a long way in nine months and are now in positions to seek Series A funding. The event took place at Perkins Coie law office at 30 Rockefeller Center. ​

On Tuesday, September 19, the teams attended an event hosted by GENIUS NY and RobotLabNYC called Investing In Unmanned Systems. There were more than 80 in attendance at WeWork’s office space at Grand Central. The event allowed the teams to network with investors, executives and others interested in the industry. Davis Hackenberg of NASA, Michael Toscano of AUVSI, and Jon Parry, director of GENIUS NY all spoke about the growing drone industry around the globe and specifically in Central New York.
 
The next day the teams and investors gathered on the 22nd floor of 30 Rock to present. Their last investment pitch was in March when they were awarded their initial funding at the GENIUS NY Finals Night at the Marriot Syracuse Downtown.
 
Prior to the pitches, Rick Clonan, VP of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at CenterState CEO, talked to the audience about the efforts being made in Central New York in unmanned systems. He discussed the Upstate Revitalization Initiative’s $250 million dedicated to UAS and how companies such as Gryphon Sensors, Lockheed Martin and Saab Sensis as well as GENIUS NY are working together to make CNY a global hub for unmanned systems.
 
GENIUS NY 2.0 begins January 2018 when six more unmanned systems teams join The Tech Garden for a 12-month accelerator offering resources, mentorship and programming to build successful companies. Applications close October 1, 2017.

Tuesday night's panelists from left: Michael Toscano, AUVSI; Jon Parry, Director of GENIUS NY; Davis Hackenberg, NASA; and Oliver Mitchell, Founding Partner at Autonomy Ventures.

Sasi Prabhakaran of Akrobotix

Brian Pitre of SkyOp

GENIUS NY teams and staff