SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A firm that offers a drone-based logistics platform captured the $1 million top prize in the seventh round of the Genius NY accelerator in Syracuse.
Blueflite of Detroit, Michigan won top honors during the pitch-finals event, which was part of the Tech Garden’s “Innovation Night” held Wednesday evening at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown.
The Tech Garden administers the Genius NY program. Genius NY stands for stands for Growing ENtrepreneurs & Innovators in UpState New York.
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Blueflite’s “patented, unique, and all-electrical drone design has vertical take-off and landing capabilities, advanced maneuverability, and is built to meet the rigorous demands of commercial operations,” the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul said in announcing the results.
The year-long Genius NY program is described as the “world’s largest” business-accelerator program focused on uncrewed aerial systems, robotics and IoT, or Internet of Things.
The accelerator offers incubator space, company resources, programming and mentoring to finalists. Participants are required to operate their business in Central New York for at least one year.
“Blueflite is thrilled to have won the prestigious GENIUS NY $1M prize, organized by CenterState CEO. We see this as a remarkable achievement and testament to our capabilities, and we are enthusiastic to begin an exciting journey strengthening our presence in the State of New York,” Frank Noppel and James McClearen, co-founders of Blueflite, said in the state’s news release. “The support from GENIUS NY has been invaluable, and we look forward to drive innovation and excellence in the drone industry, benefiting not only our company but also the communities we serve.”
In addition to Blueflite, the other finalists involved earned $500,000 investments. They include Aloft of Silver Spring, Maryland; GreenJets of the United Kingdom; Voltela of Brooklyn; and VOTIX of Weston, Florida. VOTIX was also named as fan favorite at the pitch event, per Hochul’s office.
To date, New York State has made $21 million in direct investment in 37 Genius NY teams over the program’s seven rounds, per Hochul’s office.
