New York SBDC Partners on SUNY’s Startup Demo Day

$100K in startup funding. 3 Breakthrough Ideas. 1 Powerhouse Demo Day.

The New York SBDC and our State Director Sonya Smith joined forces with SUNY Startup Summer School (S4) as part of Demo Day at the University at Albany to support the next wave of university-born innovation.

S4 is a 10-week accelerator that gives SUNY faculty, students, and staff the entrepreneurial training, mentorship, and proposal support they need to bring breakthrough technologies to market.

It all culminated in an exciting Demo Day at the University at Albany, where finalists pitched for Catalyst Investment Awards totaling $100,000 to help launch or grow their ventures.

The SBDC network brings free 1-on-1 support, deep knowledge and expertise to small businesses and entrepreneurs around New York State. At Demo Day, State Director Sonya Smith represented that mission and our statewide network, sharing our knowledge of entrepreneurship and helping to spotlight the incredible work of these startups.

Here are three outstanding winners we are proud to congratulate:

🏆 REMIX –Jayson Boubin – Binghamton University – $50K – REMIX is a real-time hyperspectral imaging technology developed at Binghamton University that enables rapid processing of high-volume remote sensing data, with initial applications in humanitarian landmine detection and broader potential across ecology, agriculture, prospecting, and energy sectors.

🏆 sxRNA Technologies – Scott Tenenbaum – University at Albany – $25K – sxRNA Technologies Inc. has developed a groundbreaking RNA nanoswitch platform that enables RNA therapeutics to be activated only in targeted cells by using structurally interacting RNA “Locks” and “Keys,” offering unprecedented tissue-specific control for safer, more effective treatments.

🏆 Vasocure – Moro Salifu– SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University – $25K – Developing Peptide 4D (P4D) and oral F11R antagonists to treat neointimal hyperplasia (NIH), a key driver of atherosclerosis, pulmonary hypertension, and dialysis access stenosis, by targeting a novel inflammatory pathway that triggers smooth muscle cell proliferation and vessel narrowing, for which no current pharmacologic therapy exists.

S4 is a key component of the The State University of New York system’s broader Technology‑to‑Market strategy, delivering one part of an integrated commercialization framework including the Technology Accelerator Fund (TAF), Venture Advisors, and Grant Works.