Our Programs Fund and Support Entrepreneurs

Millions of funding dollars have flowed through The Tech Garden over the years to invest in, support, and educate entrepreneurs. From grants, business competitions, to direct investment and other programs, we offer what members need to achieve success. 

What program is right​​ for your startup?

​Innovation HotSpot
​The HotSpot program is a 5-year tax incentive program designed for formative stage companies in the tech and manufacturing industries. Tax incentive certifications are provided by a NY Certified Innovation HotSpot whose goal is to provide services and resources that enable these businesses to successfully transition from start-up phase to larger-scale commercialization of their products and services.

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GENIUS NY Accelerator
​GENIUS NY is the world's largest business accelerator competition for unmanned systems, IoT and big data. The accelerator invests more than $3 million in five startups each year. The program is funded by Empire State Developement.

Learn More

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The Clean Tech Center
​The Clean Tech Center is a NYSERDA-funded initiative focused on developing clean energy technology companies in Central New York. Clean tech is an emerging sector of products, services and processes that harness renewable energy sources, reduce the carbon footprint and advance sustainability. 

learn more

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The Tech Garden Fund of Funds
The Tech Garden offers strategically injected capital in accordance with our internal funding thesis. Funding program opportunities are aligned with their appropriate stage on The Road Map and is sourced from multiple pools of funding that The Tech Garden manages. 
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Members in Ideation can apply for an up to $10K Ignition Grant. Those in Acceleration can apply for GENIUS NY or The Clean Tech Center if applicable or for up to $25K in pre-seed funding. Those in Incubation can apply for seed funding, which typically takes the form of a convertible debt note between $25K and $100K. Finally, members in Expansion should be looking at our match funding opportunities, which can help incentivize investors by offering a match on their investment in return for equity or convertible debt up to $100K before startups are exclusively seeking follow-on funding opportunities. ​

75% of members
are ​currently enrolled in programs

Bringing Fotokite to the U.S. has always been important for the success of our startup. GENIUS NY has accelerated this process for us even more than we could have expected, resulting in game-changing speed of growth, incredible local and national network connections, and highly curated business advice to help prepare and scale up operations.

​-Chris McCall, CEO, Fotokite

The Roadmap a visual blueprint for progress along the entrepreneurial journey. The Roadmap guides members from concept to commercialization through four stages: Ideation, Acceleration, Incubation and Expansion. 

How to Join 
The Tech Garden

We'd love to hear more about your startup and get you involved in our innovation ecosystem. 

Membership at The Tech Garden is exclusive and gives entrepreneurs access to a full range of essential elements for success - ecosystem access, funding programs, support resources, and relationship-building events.

Membership Details