The seventh annual Grow-NY business competition wrapped up this week with a two-day summit in Canandaigua, where finalists pitched their innovative business plans to a panel of expert judges. Governor Kathy Hochul announced Brekland of Brooklyn as the grand-prize winner, taking home $1 million.
A total of $3 million in prize money was awarded to seven of the 20 finalists selected for the Grow-NY business accelerator. Each winning company will establish operations in the region for at least one year and provide a modest equity stake to Cornell University, helping fund future food and agriculture entrepreneurship programs.
One of the $500,000 winners is Ithaca-based Seen Nutrition, a food tech startup in the menopause market. Seen Nutrition initially focuses on bone health and produces a patented dietary calcium chew using dairy sourced from Central New York.
The public also played a role in the competition, voting for the “Wegmans Audience Choice” award, which went to Finger Foods Farm of Bloomfield, earning $10,000.
The Grow-NY competition, administered by Cornell University’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement, is designed to strengthen the emerging food, beverage, and agriculture innovation cluster across Central New York, the Finger Lakes, and the Southern Tier.
Have all the Finger Lakes news from Finger Lakes News Radio delivered to your email every morning for FREE! Sign up by clicking here
