ROME, NY — Griffiss Institute is working with Wasabi Ventures to host five startups who have completed the 2015 Commercialization Academy, to pitch an audience of over 200, at Demo Day, on October 5, 2015, 5-8pm, at Griffiss Institute, 725 Daedalian Dr. Rome, NY.
Over the past nine months, the 2015 Commercialization Academy has seen 24 individuals setting out to transform Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) technologies into new startups, with five startups developed. With the full support of Wasabi Ventures’ mentoring and education, including hundreds of constructive meetings and thousands of interactions, each team has been able to accomplish a tremendous amount. All five teams were able to create a legal entity, license their piece of Intellectual Property (IP), spec up product designs, learn the proper way to pitch their IP, develop a go-to-market, and define their growth strategies, leading up to the 2015 Demo Day.
The Commercialization Academy is blazing a path in Department of Defense (DoD) IP Tech Transfer; fundamentally changing the way a startup gets built by pairing hungry entrepreneurs with AFRL technologies, creating new companies to impact local ecosystems. The Commercialization Academy is creating the building blocks for a stronger community in the Mohawk Valley.
“The Commercialization Academy is building a stronger tomorrow for the Mohawk Valley ecosystem,” said TK Kuegler, general partner of Wasabi Ventures.
October 5th’s Demo Day will feature all five startups pitching the audience on how they are disrupting the market with AFRL technologies as a pivotal part of their business model. The audience will be made up of local influencers in the Mohawk Valley area including, AFRL employees, local dignitaries, and an abundance of individuals from the local startup community. At the end of the Demo Day pitches, a live audience vote will be held for the best pitch of the day, whereby the winning team will receive a check for $25,000 to go towards building their startup.
The five startup teams who will be taking the stage on October 5th will be; Lilo, SkyTubeLive, Critical Systems, VidFall, and Synerji. The event will also feature TK Kuegler, general partner of Wasabi Ventures, giving a full overview of the new Commercialization Academy program, and a presentation from Mike McCoy, founder of The Alva Group, to overview the new technologies from the AFRL to be implemented into the 2016 Commercialization Academy.
This Demo Day will serve as a capstone for each of these teams, as they continue to grow as startups, while also ushering in the 2016 Commercialization Academy. This event will also showcase the Commercialization Academy as a path for successful techno transfer in the Mohawk Valley area.
About Griffiss Institute
The Griffiss Institute was established in 2002 as an independent 501(c)(3) entity governed by a Board of Directors. The primary role of the GI is to advocate and facilitate the co-operation of private industry, academia and government in developing solutions to critical cyber security problems. Another prime role is to build upon technologies under development at the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) Information Directorate to further strengthen the security of our nation’s cyber infrastructure.
About Wasabi Ventures
Wasabi Ventures is a venture capital, incubator, and consulting firm that specializes in building and advising early stage technology companies. In the last 10+ years, Wasabi Ventures has built, financed, and advised over 200 startups. Wasabi Ventures has taken an active role in the AFRL Tech Transfer program, working closely with affiliates of the program to strengthen the Mohawk Valley ecosystem.
