What is Startup Tech Valley?

Meetup for first-time entrepreneurs, experienced entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, students, employees of startups, service providers to startups, and anyone else who wants to be involved or is curious.

What to Expect:

• Connect + Engage. Start with networking and then get introduced to startups through informal pitch sessions.

• No cost to attend, however RSVP is required.

• Light refreshments will be provided. Cash bar available.

• 5:30pm Networking | 6:00 - 7:00pm Pitch Sessions

Want to know the value of your company/technology/patent/idea?

Speaker Martin Dunbar and Alex Woods are analysts from KPMG who specialize in economic and valuation services. Want to learn how to determine the value of a company, a technology, a patent, or an idea? Come and listen to Marty and Alex.

November is a time for gratitude and reconnecting with family and/or friends. This month, we're skipping the formal pitches and hosting an extended happy hour, where the drinks are plentiful and the conversations flow just as freely!

Whether you’re an entrepreneur or just someone with a passion for innovation, this is the perfect chance to:

🍹 Unwind with refreshing beverages and delicious bites
🤝 Network with like-minded professionals and potential collaborators

See you there!

🌟Come Network & Connect 🌟

518 Founders Happy Hour is a great chance for the Capital District’s top innovators to come together, share ideas, and celebrate our wins.

November 14th, 2024

RenderTribe Office

468 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

5:00 to 7:00 PM

This event is all about connecting with fellow founders, investors, and industry experts in a fun and relaxed setting.

We meet regularly at different spots across the Capital District. No need to RSVP, but it’d be awesome if you could let us know you’re coming!
Let’s make the most of this opportunity to expand our networks and support each other.

Ready to connect with DARPA in an unprecedented way? In-person attendance for DARPA’s pop-up event in Albany is at full capacity – but you can still join virtually for an inspiring day that could shape your path with one of the world’s most innovative agencies. This event is designed to help you understand DARPA’s current focus areas, connect with decision-makers, and give you practical knowledge on how to engage with DARPA.

Date: Thursday, November 14th, 2024 

Time: 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM ET 

Register Here: https://events.bizzabo.com/darpa-connect-ny-pop-up

Ready to Dive In? Check Out The Agenda: https://events.bizzabo.com/darpa-connect-ny-pop-up/agenda

Explore the day’s sessions in advance and see which ones will be most valuable to your work and goals. From proposal crafting to real-time feedback sessions, this agenda is packed with insights tailored for industry leaders, researchers, and small business innovators.

What to Expect from the Virtual Event:

- Insights from Across DARPA

  Virtually experience our full-day agenda featuring DARPA program managers across the agency’s technical offices, each leading groundbreaking work in their fields. This is a unique opportunity to gain direct insight into DARPA’s current focus areas and ongoing research.

- Engagement with DARPA’s Key Offices 

  You’ll hear from leaders in the Small Business Programs Office, the Contract Management Office, and DARPA Security, as well as other key decision-makers. These experts will provide guidance on how to align your ideas and projects with DARPA’s mission, opening doors to future collaboration.

- Sessions to Help You Succeed

  Get advice from DARPA insiders on crafting successful proposals, understanding DARPA’s pathways, and navigating contracting processes. Whether you're new to DARPA or a seasoned partner, our sessions will inspire new ideas and provide actionable strategies to enhance your engagement with DARPA.

Join us on November 14th to engage with DARPA’s experts, gain actionable insights, and take the next step in building the future with DARPA!

Want to know what it’s like starting a company in your 20’s?

Join us for a Pig Tale on November 13th at 5:00 pm. Our speakers, Dan Lannan and Sam Hogan, are successful serial entrepreneurs at under 25 years old! Want to know how they stopped banging their heads against the wall and made it work? Come and talk to Dan and Sam.

Please join us on the RPI campus in Troy, Darrin Communications Center Room 330. Parking on 15th Street. Food and drinks will be served. Scan the QR code for more information.

Where pigs can fly, there are no boundaries. Unleash your inner innovator.

Wednesday November 13, 2024 @ 5:00 pm

Darrin Communications Center, Room 330.

51 College Ave, Troy, NY 12180

Parking on 15th Street.

Food and drinks served.

Our November Lunch and Learn topic, “Valuing Early-Stage Businesses and Intangible Assets" is tailored specifically for startup founders and entrepreneurs seeking to understand the complex world of business valuation in its formative stages. We’ll be joined by experienced professionals from KPMG, a global leader in accounting and advisory services, who will delve into the core principles and practical considerations of valuing early-stage ventures, which often lack the traditional financial history of mature companies. 

Learn and understand the unique challenges and methods involved in valuing startups, including the significant role of intangible assets—such as intellectual property —that often drive a young company's worth. KPMG experts will break down key valuation frameworks, offer real-world examples, and discuss the latest industry standards and techniques to help founders communicate their value to potential investors and stakeholders confidently. 

The session will cover topics such as leveraging comparable company analysis, recent transactions, discounted cash flow analysis, and incorporating qualitative factors to build a robust, credible valuation. This workshop will provide founders with an opportunity to ask questions and gain actionable insights to develop better valuations.  

This workshop will provide founders with an opportunity to ask questions and gain actionable insights to better position their businesses for sustainable growth and successful capital raises. 

Join us at the UAlbany Innovation Center for our First Annual (Startup) Horror Stories Show! We’ll hear from seasoned startup founders and entrepreneurs who’ve had their share of stumbles on the way to success.

Free and open to the Capital Region Startup Founder and Entrepreneurship Community.

Lunch will be served.

This collaboration between the Saratoga County Chamber & Startup Tech Valley offers a meetup for a diverse group, including first-time and experienced entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, students, startup employees, service providers, and anyone interested or curious about getting involved.

What to Expect:

• Connect + Engage. Start with networking and then get introduced to startups through informal pitch sessions.

• No cost to attend, however RSVP is required.

• Light refreshments will be provided. Cash bar available.

• 5:30pm Networking | 6:00 - 7:00pm Pitch Sessions

Presenters: To be confirmed

The 2024 BioInnovation Forum will be held on October 17th at Hudson Valley Community College. Our Master of Ceremonies will be Win Thurlow, Executive Director of LifeSciencesNY, and the day will have a special focus on workforce development.  

This year’s keynote will be given by John Balchunas, Workforce Director at The National Institute for Innovation and Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL). There will be two panels, a B2B showcase featuring regional pharmaceutical and biomedical/biotech companies, and plenty of networking opportunities. Closing remarks will be given by a special guest, to be announced.  

We hope to see you on October 17th! See the agenda and register today at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bioinnovation-forum-2024-tickets-1004760013247

Students can register for free using this form: https://albany.jotform.com/242326072441044. We encourage you to pass this invitation along to students.  

Join us for Startup Tech Valley in collaboration with the Center for Economic Growth (CEG), Innovate 518, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). This event is a great opportunity for networking and hearing from innovative startups during informal pitch sessions.

Who should attend?
First-time entrepreneurs experienced entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs, investors mentors, students, employees of startups, service providers to startups, and anyone else who wants to be involved or is curious.

Register now at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/startup-tech-valley-tickets-966302706407


Date: Wednesday, September 18
Time: 5:30 p.m. Networking | 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. Pitches
Location: Brown's Revolution Hall | 425 River St, Troy, NY 12180

Attention Innovators and Dreamers:

What if we told you pigs could fly? The Flying Pig Society was created to inspire innovation. Our mission is to foster a mindset and community of skilled innovators. If you want to learn the skills necessary to innovate solutions to problems worth solving, come fly with us!

Join us for a special workshop on September 11th at 5:00 pm. Our speaker, Eric Ledet, is a serial entrepreneur, inventor, and award-winning educator. Eric will share the secrets of design thinking and how it can change the way you see the world and how it can change your life.

Please join us at the RPI Heffner Alumni House in Troy. Easy free parking off of Peoples Avenue. Food and drinks will be served. Register HERE.

Where pigs can fly, there are no boundaries. Unleash your inner innovator.

Wednesday September 11, 2024 @ 5:00 pm

Heffner Alumni House

1301 Peoples Ave, Troy, NY 12180

Free parking off Peoples Ave.

Food and drinks served.

Calling all CAD users! Connect and converse with fellow product designers.

COG Member and PTC Technical Services Engineer Matt Rohr will introduce us to Onshape. This cloud-native product development platform includes 3D CAD modeling, data management, and real-time collaboration tools with the flexibility to work anywhere with any device. He'll showcase some of the work it's enabled him to do and explain why Onshape is the best CAD solution for modern designers and companies.

Matt is a Certified Onshape Professional with an enthusiastic interest in Computer-aided design, additive manufacturing, and PLM. Before joining PTC, he managed product support at nTopology, developed desktop 3D printing technology at MakerBot, and founded the SOLIDWORKS User Group of New York City. He holds a degree in Technology Management from the State University of New York College of Technology at Alfred.

Our Hardware Meetups are for engineers, designers, CEOs, investors, and anyone interested in being a part of the Capital Region’s hardware start-up ecosystem.

What to Expect

- Find street parking anywhere downtown (free after 5pm).
- Enter the vestibule at 30 3RD St.
- Ring the doorbell.
- Sign in at the front desk and create a name tag.
- Find the food!
- Introduce yourself to at least one person you don't know ("What do you make?" is a good icebreaker).

Know what you need to know before you need to know it!

Whether your fiscal year follows the calendar year or not, it's never too soon to think about the next tax year. Join us on June 12th for our workshop, Preparing for New York State Tax Season. We'll be joined by associates from Wojeski and Co to talk about: 

• Tax implications for startups

• Understanding Startup NY and Innovation Hotspot tax benefits and credits

• Best practices for tax filing and reporting

• Your tax questions

This event is hosted by UAlbany Innovation Center, with support from Innovate 518.

 The program is offered for informational purposes only. Consult with your accountant on your specific tax situation.

Attention Innovators and Dreamers:

Do you code? Do you know CAD? Do you have a degree in engineering, science, or business? Do you want to make some money at something you’re already good at?

You could be a consultant.

Join us for a special panel discussion on how to be a consultant. May 23rd at 4:00 pm. Our panelists are experienced consultants in engineering, software development, business, and expert witness work. Learn what it takes to use your skills as a consultant. Come with questions and you will get answers!

Please join us in the Biotech Center auditorium on the RPI campus in Troy. Free parking off of College Avenue. Food and drinks will be served. Scan the QR code for more information.

Networking Opportunity for Life Sciences & BioTech Community

NewYorkBIO is hosting a Mini Pitch Day event for early-stage life science and biotech companies with the goal of providing feedback on pitch presentations. The pitch event on May 13th will be at the University at Albany from 12:00-5:00 pm with a reception following from 5-6:30 pm. Select companies will pitch to a panel of judges to receive real-time presentation feedback. Our curated audience will include service providers, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders.

The presenting companies will be assessed by a panel of judges who will award two tickets to the NewYorkBIO Innovation Summit on September 10th and three months of free membership at the UAlbany Innovation Center.

The primary goal of this event is mentorship, and investor presence is encouraged at the reception.

We have one word for you: plastics. We are lucky to have two speakers at this hardware meetup, both with experience in injection molding. Come learn from their personal journeys with this manufacturing technique.

Brandon Gamm of PRIXEL Press will share lessons in quality control from a factory visit to Dongguan, China. "Before I took off, I kept wondering, 'Do I really need to be there?' The tooling was already made and fit dialed in. Still, the thought of possibly receiving 250,000 unusable PRIXEL sorts because I didn't care enough to visit kept nagging at me."

Sam Wechsler, an engineer and entrepreneur, will share his experiences with recycling 3D prints, how plastics extrusion works and how it applies to 3D printing and injection molding.

How to find us: Find street parking anywhere downtown (free after 5pm). Enter the vestibule at 30 3RD St. Ring the doorbell. Sign in at the front desk. Join us in the Community Room.

Tech Valley Center of Gravity is an affiliated partner of Innovate 518.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the Lally School of Management will host Invest Capital Region: Life Sciences + Healthcare, our second demo day to showcase emerging startups, invite investors to Upstate New York, and build connections within and across the investment ecosystem.

Registration closes April 23, 2024, so please register early as space is limited.

Bots and Brews

*Manufacturers Only Event*

Join us for an opportunity to mingle with fellow manufacturers.

Meet the owners of Murray's Fools Distilling Company and Adirondack Barrell Cooperage, and enjoy a complimentary tour and tasting at both establishments.

Appetizers will be provided, and a cash bar will be available for drinks.

Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to connect with industry peers!

🌟 Network with fellow founders and industry experts.
🌟 Gain valuable insights and tips for scaling your startup.
🌟 Enjoy refreshments and drinks in a relaxed atmosphere.

Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting your journey, this is an event you won't want to miss.

Don’t miss your chance to connect with other entrepreneurs, find resources to support your startup, and seek advice from investors and advisors.

Keynote Speakers: Timmy Oh and Christine Tate, Co-Founders of Vara Safety

Registration is free but required.

Attention Innovators and Dreamers:

What if we told you pigs could fly? The Flying Pig Society was created to inspire innovation. Our mission is to foster a mindset and community of skilled innovators. If you want to learn the skills necessary to innovate solutions to problems worth solving, come fly with us!

Join us for a special Pig Tale (seminar) on April 18th at 5:30 pm. Our speaker, Bill Hoffman, is co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Kitware, a company that provides advanced technical computing, state-of-the-art AI and tailored software solutions. Bill will share his story on creating an international computer software company built on open-source technology.

Please join us in the Biotech Center auditorium on the RPI campus in Troy. Free parking off of College Avenue. Food and drinks will be served.

Where pigs can fly, there are no boundaries. Unleash your inner innovator.

❗️ Startup Tech Valley is BACK❗️

📣Calling all entrepreneurs, startups/employees, mentors, investors, students & more!

Join us Wednesday 4/17, 5:30pm at Brown's Revolution Hall to network and hear from innovative startups. Presented in collaboration by CEG, Innovate 518 and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

No Cost to attend; RSVP Required.

What is Startup Tech Valley?

Meetup for first-time entrepreneurs, experienced entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, students, employees of startups, service providers to startups, and anyone else who wants to be involved or is curious.

What to Expect:

• Connect + Engage. Start with networking and then get introduced to startups through informal pitch sessions.

• No cost to attend, however RSVP is required.

• Light refreshments will be provided. Cash bar available.

• 5:30pm Networking | 6:00 - 7:00pm Pitch Sessions

Can’t see the button? Register at https://bit.ly/SUTV-2024

AMA with A Lawyer: Legal Considerations for Work Contracts, Scope of Work, and NDAs for Startups is your opportunity to learn everything you ever wanted to know about the legal side of your startup when it comes to customers and partners but didn’t know who or what to ask. We’ll be joined by the Albany Law School Community Economic Development Clinic team, including Fermin M Mendez (director).

In this interactive session, attendees will have the unique opportunity to gain invaluable insights into the nuances of crafting work contracts, defining the scope of work, and implementing non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) based on the specific needs of startups.

The event kicks off with a 30-minute workshop covering essential legal considerations for startups, including best practices for structuring work contracts, delineating clear scopes of work, and safeguarding intellectual property through effective NDAs.

Following the informative presentation, attendees will have the opportunity to engage in a dynamic Q&A session with our presenter.

Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or embarking on your first startup journey, this event promises to equip you with invaluable legal insights for navigating the complexities of work contracts, scope of work, and NDAs. Don't miss this opportunity to equip your startup toolbox with the knowledge needed to ensure legal compliance and mitigate risks in your startup endeavors.

[Disclaimer: The information provided during this program is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter or creating an attorney-client relationship of any kind.]

Can’t see the button? Register at this link: https://bit.ly/ama-albany-law

Attention Innovators and Dreamers:

What if we told you pigs could fly? The Flying Pig Society was created to inspire innovation. Our mission is to foster a mindset and community of skilled innovators. If you want to learn the skills necessary to innovate solutions to problems worth solving, come fly with us!

Join us for a special free workshop on March 21st at 5:00pm. Our speaker, Geoff Ledet, is an award winning graphic designer and entrepreneur who has created branding and identity strategies for hundreds of products, individuals, and companies. He will share secrets for creating a brand that inspires and he will discuss how an identity can change the trajectory of an organization.

Please join us at the Heffner Alumni House in Troy. Free parking off of Peoples Avenue. Food and drinks will be served.

Where pigs can fly, there are no boundaries. Unleash your inner innovator.

Thursday March 21, 2024 @ 5 pm

Heffner Alumni House

1301 People Ave., Troy, NY 12180

Free + Easy Parking

Incubators are meant to be temporary homes for startups. At some point, startups must flee the nest, and thoughtful planning is key to a smooth transition.

March's Lunch and Learn is all about your company's current and future growth. Considering your company's space needs is an essential part of strategic planning. The right space can enable sustainable growth. This session will focus on space options in the Capital Region and what founders need to consider when looking for space.

Companies that want to take advantage of the tax incentives of START-UP NY will be particularly interested in learning about spaces located in the Tax-Free Area (TFA).

Join us at Launchbox, the Capital Region’s brand-new flexible warehouse and co-working space, located in Latham, NY. We’ll be joined by representatives from Rosenblum & Companies, one of our TFA space partners, who will describe the opportunities available to you and provide a tour of Launchbox. Lunch will be served.

Registration is required. This event is in-person only.

This event is hosted by UAlbany Innovation Center, with support from Innovate 518.

After you have conquered the concise articulation of what your business does, you need to be able to tell your startup story to potential stakeholders. You will be asked about it many times. Investors, partners, potential cofounders all need to feel your passion for the work you do and understand how you got where you are. Learn how to craft this story with a beginning, a middle and an end regardless of where you are in the startup journey.

About Our Speaker:

Jessica Fields has focused on entrepreneurs throughout her career, working at several start-ups. She served as the Network Manager for Savor the Success, an all-female entrepreneurial network in NYC, where she developed a mentor program for the network, overseeing the first three cohorts. Fields was also an Assistant Managing Editor for Odyssey, a startup based around a social-content platform for millennial thought leaders when fewer than thirty people were on the NY team. She shifted the company to an inclusive focus, managed over a dozen sites, and created a scaled program to develop the platform’s contributors. As coordinator at Kaplan International, she wore many hats, including business developer, human resources trainer, event manager, teacher, and assessment contractor.

She serves as Project Director for NYCRIN and the CUNY I-Corps Site. As a nationally trained TA for the I-Corps program, she manages the NYCRIN I-Corps programs nationally and regionally, as well as outreach, marketing, and compiling metrics.

This program is offered by UAlbany Innovation Center, with support from Innovate 518.

This is a virtual event. Registration required.