EXCEED

iCLEAN’s Entrepreneur Development Program, Expanding Clean Energy Entrepreneurship Development (EXCEED), is a far-reaching, collaborative statewide effort that combines two of CNSE’s premier programs, the New York Business Plan Competition and New Energy Symposium, to create a launch pad for all types of entrepreneurs interested in commercializing clean energy technologies in New York State.

The New York Business Plan Competition is a venture creation and innovation competition that was established in 2009 to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship throughout New York State’s colleges and universities. Since 2010, over 140 student teams from 25 of New York’s colleges and universities have presented at the competition. The winners are selected each year by esteemed judges including venture capitalists, angels, investment bankers, other sophisticated public and private investors, and seasoned entrepreneurs. At the end of the 2012 competition, more than $310,000 in cash and in-kind prizes have been awarded to student entrepreneurs.

The New Energy Symposium features the Investment Pitch Competition, where invited startups from across New York and the Northeast pitch to a judging panel of over 40 regional and national VCs, angels, private equity investors, corporate VCs, investment bankers, and government executives. The New Energy Symposium has partnered with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's annual Industry Growth Forum, the nation’s premier cleantech startup pitch event, since the Investment Pitch Competition’s inception. Over the past five years, the Investment Pitch Competition has showcased 58 early stage companies that have raised over $160 million in venture capital and government funding to develop clean energy technologies, products, and services.

As part of EXCEED, CNSE and iCLEAN hosted the Exceeding Expectations: Cleantech Entrepreneur Roundtable on Friday, November 16, 2012 at CNSE. The Exceeding Expectations: Cleantech Entrepreneur Roundtable was a collaboration of CNSE’s nationally recognized NANOvember program, an annual month-long celebration showcasing the exciting world of nanotechnology and the global leadership of CNSE and NYS in the field, and iCLEAN’s EXCEED program. This interactive Cleantech Entrepreneur Roundtable featured a mix of investors and successful entrepreneurs speaking about the opportunities and challenges within New York’s cleantech sector. Click the button below to learn more about EXCEED’s Cleantech Entrepreneur Roundtable.

EXCEED has been strategically developed to take advantage of the development pipeline that CNSE and iCLEAN have created and grown to assist budding and seasoned nanotechnology and clean energy entrepreneurs. Early stage, student entrepreneurs are able to develop their idea and venture through the comprehensive New York Business Plan Competition program. Later stage, more experienced entrepreneurs have the opportunity to showcase their technology and company to some of the world’s leading energy investors through the New Energy Symposium’s Investment Pitch Competition. The two programs that are part of EXCEED are ongoing, long-term efforts with strong statewide support from all of CNSE and iCLEAN’s stakeholders across New York State and the Northeast.