On January 13 The Tech Garden celebrated its 5th anniversary!

Some of The Tech Garden accomplishments were announced at the celebration (below); we heard from some of the dignitaries who played a major role in making The Tech Garden a reality; we networked among our friends, colleagues, and business associates while enjoying music, food and drinks.

Guest speakers included Honorable David Valesky, Honorable William B. Magnarelli, Honorable Albert A. Stirpe, Jr., and, Honorable County Executive Joanne M. Mahoney.

The Tech Garden President Nasir Ali, The Tech Garden Vice President Paul Brooks, Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce President Darlene Kerr, and Metropolitan Development Association President and CEO Robert M. Simpson welcomed guests and presented during the program.

Click here to view the photos from the event »

Accomplishments:

• Attracted over 35 businesses to locate in downtown Syracuse bringing over 100 jobs and a payroll exceeding $4.5 million to the city
• Counseled over 400 startups via staff and entrepreneurs-in-residence and helped them access technology and business resources from regional universities and large corporations
• Organized workshops for 30 teams of university researchers and experienced business professionals to develop commercial assessments and go-to-market strategies for their innovations
• Established the Syracuse Student Sandbox, in collaboration with Syracuse University's Enitiative Campus Community Entrepreneurship initiative, a program for the incubation and development of student-run businesses
• Hosted over 600 knowledge transfer and networking events drawing over 10,000 participants
• Provided free technical assistance to over 300 NY small businesses via the NASA-funded SATOP program
• Established the Seed Capital Fund of CNY with 42 high net worth individuals who are guiding and investing in early stage technology businesses (Initial commitment is $1.6 million with expected sidecars of up to $15 million)
• Founding member of New York Angel Network to facilitate connections between upstate technology entrepreneurs and interested investors
• Founding member of the Business Incubator Association of NYS to facilitate the sharing of best practices and increased awareness of the role incubators play in igniting economic growth
• Organized and implemented the DoD Commercialization Assistance Program to assist DoD SBIR companies to move their products and services towards commercialization.
• Generated 100 plus articles and online/electronic media mentions for Syracuse Technology Garden programs and regional technology entrepreneurs
• Established The Clean Tech Center dedicated to the development of Clean Tech entrepreneurial companies and the Clean Tech economy in Upstate New York
• Active deal sourcing partner and frequent host for Upstate NY venture capitalists and high net worth individual investors