Two Alfred State teams earned prize money at the sixth annual AHA! Allegany County Startup Collegiate Competition hosted at Houghton University. Alfred State had four teams present pitches to the panel of judges.
Fostering Experiences, pitched by Zeniya Day (Rochester, NY) and Sara Schaubroeck (Rochester, NY) took third place and a $1,000 prize. Their company is a mobile event and public relations agency designed for rural college communities. They would plan and execute community events, provide marketing and branding support, employ students in paid skill-based roles, and connects college, students, and businesses. Tamanna Kabir, Assistant Professor of Business from Alfred State College, served as academic mentor and Stacy Gray of FLX Wine Tours served as industry mentor.
Richard Rochester (Alfred Station, NY) and Tyson Comfort (Avoca, NY) pitched their company, Southern Tier TechworX, and were awarded the Viewer’s Choice Award. Their business will offer on-site computer and network repair services, available through monthly membership or affordable service fee, with pickup and delivery options. Joe Bailey, lecturer from Alfred State College, served as academic mentor and Trevor Kokot of Saxon Glass served as industry mentor.
ReGrow, developed by Alfred University students Amina Shamshibayeva, Vladyslava Makarenko, and Mike Maeda, took home top honors. ReGrow is working to produce sustainable, biodegradable packaging using mycelium and local organic waste. The process combines agricultural hay substrate with mycelium, which grows over five days in a controlled environment before being dried and finished to create an eco-friendly alternative to traditional packaging materials.
Ignite Discovery Center, pitched by Houghton University students Katie Berghorn, Corban Gibson, and Elijah Fox, earned second place. The team is working to develop a local creative space for children in Allegany County, offering hands-on educational experiences, a community garden, event and party space, science kits, and unique exhibits replicating career paths which are designed to connect kids, parents, and the broader community.
Ashley Smith, Director of Economic Development for Allegany County, Sophia Marshall, Senior Program Manager at the University at Buffalo, and Filomena Jack, Artist, and Program Director at IncubatorWorks served as judges. The trio evaluated pitches made by thirteen teams.
Ashleigh Madison, the Executive Director of IncubatorWorks stated, "We are thrilled to have had a record-breaking 13 pitches this year from students across Alfred University, Houghton University, and Alfred State College - the most in the competition's history! The students brought incredibly innovative and thorough pitches, and it was a wonderful day hosted at Houghton University.”
She continued, “At IncubatorWorks, we believe that cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset in students is key to driving economic development in our region, and events like this are a testament to that mission. We are excited to see these students take their ideas forward and potentially launch businesses of their own. We especially applaud our winners for their environmentally conscious business concept. IncubatorWorks can't wait to see what next year's students come up with!"
The following teams also competed:
UniConnect (Alfred University — Vinci Armas and Mariam Swedan)
The Healing Verse Blog (Alfred State College — Diamond Reddick and Dla Denise Mann)
Schedule Beacon (Alfred University — Christopher Coyle and Robby Hicks)
Jiaozi Bar (Alfred University — Anlun Zwerver and Sabrina Hryhoriev)
GoalTrack (Alfred University — William Mahunda and Holly Beda Lymo)
AccessCare Transport (Alfred State College — Christine Felder and Kadeem Belizaire)
CoachMe (Alfred University — Mark Ungurian, Matthew Bittel, and Ryan Haggerty)
Dorm Sweep (Houghton University — Jonas Likens, Jared Wright, and Efrain Arellano-Onate)
Bliss Planners (Houghton University — Logan Baer, Autumn Windham, and TJ Ehindero)
This event is made possible through a dedicated committee of partners including Alfred University, Houghton University, Alfred State College, IncubatorWorks, Allegany County, Western NY Wilds, the ACCORD Corporation, and the Western New York Incubator Network. Special thanks to our Event Sponsors: Houghton University, CACT at Alfred University, Sealing Devices Inc., Hoselton, and the Alfred University School of Business.