SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Five companies from the U.S., five from Europe, and one from South America are among the 11 semifinalists chosen for this year’s ninth group competing in the Genius NY competition.
Genius NY, operated by CenterState CEO, is the world’s largest business accelerator focused on uncrewed aerial systems and robotics. The in-residence program invests more than $3 million in five finalist companies annually, including a $1 million grand prize awarded at a pitch finals event.
Genius NY is short for Growing ENtrepreneurs & Innovators in UpState New York.
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The semifinalists will now compete to see which five are selected for the one-year accelerator based at CenterState CEO’s INSPYRE Innovation Hub in downtown Syracuse. Finalists will be announced in August, and then finalist teams will relocate to Central New York in early September.
Finalists will go on to pitch to a panel of judges and live audience during Innovation Night in spring 2026. Formerly in the fall after teams arrive in Central New York, Innovation Night’s new spring event allows teams more time to develop their business and become rooted in the community.
“This round saw record interest from U.S. and international startups, a testament to not only the program’s success and impact, but it’s growing value and competitiveness,” Kara Jones, director of Genius NY, said in the announcement. “We’re also seeing more applicants in the validation stage, indicating a strong pipeline of companies ready for market entry and growth, and over 43% of this round’s applicants identify as Minority, Veteran and/or Women-owned Business Enterprises, reflecting the program’s ongoing commitment to inclusive innovation. We’re excited to see which semifinalists emerge as our top five for this year’s cohort.”
Semifinalist companies, locations
- Alerion (Gipuzkoa, Spain)
- Cyphra Autonomy (Missouri, USA)
- Danu Robotics (Scotland, United Kingdom)
- Flox (Stockholm, Sweden)
- IONA (London, United Kingdom)
- Kookiejar (Ostergotland, Sweden)
- Larmarr AI (New York, U.S.)
- Lighthouse Avionics (Ohio, U.S.)
- Modovolo (New York, U.S.)
- Skyfire AI (New Jersey, U.S.)
- Vetkiosk (Neuquen, Argentina)
