ResilienX, Inc. (www.resilienx.com), a company co-founded by Clarkson alum Andrew Carter ’07 and Ryan Pleskach ‘06, Sean Calhoun, and Matt Manning, is one of five finalists in round 3 GENIUS NY awards. GENIUS NY is the world’s largest business accelerator competition for unmanned systems (drones). Last year the program received more than 350 applications from across the globe. Of those, only five were selected to compete in the 2019 program.
Ryan Pleskach ’06, Jon Parry ’07, and Andrew Carter ‘07
They are focused on improving safety in the autonomous traffic management ecosystem. Andrew explained, “The use cases for drones are extensive, from search and rescue to package delivery and even air taxis. To fly long distances (beyond visual line of sight), drone operators will need to provide a safety case to the Federal Aviation Administration to prove that the operation will not impact the safety of the current air traffic, or impact people and property on the ground. A key aspect of maintaining safety is to detect and mitigate or tolerate failures. Our flagship software suite, FRAIHMWORK (Fault Recovery and Isolation, Health Monitoring Framework), will help our customers solve these problems.”
ResilienX’s products will increase operational uptime by automating fault detection and contingency management; benefiting adopters through decreased expenditures in operations; regression testing; and maintenance. “We want to be the ‘check engine light’ for the commercial drone ecosystem,” Pleskach added. “Like most new or emerging markets, regulation and cost of entry are often two of the biggest barriers. FRAIHMWORK can help customers overcome both hurdles.” This software will monitor the health and integrity of a system and will facilitate fault recovery if a problem is encountered.
The five startup drone companies will participate in the year-long program and will compete for a total of $3 million in direct investment funding, with one grand prize of up to $1 million and four $500,000 awards. This year’s finalists come from all over the world including Israel and Italy. Learn more about them here, http://www.geniusny.com/2019-teams.html
Jonathan Parry, director of GENIUS NY is also a Clarkson alum. Prior to managing the GENIUS NY accelerator, Jonathan spent ten years working for two different startup companies, one of those technologies coming out of Clarkson University. “The GENIUS NY accelerator competition is a unique opportunity in Central New York for early stage technology companies, and the largest in the world for this industry. It is exciting to see the unique talent and subject matter expertise coming out of Clarkson. Many of the technology companies in Syracuse are home to Clarkson alum and it is great to see individuals starting their own companies and providing innovative solutions to the growing commercial unmanned systems market. We consider ResilienX an ecosystem company that will help many other emerging technologies in the UAS industry prove their ability to operate safely and deliver solutions in various industries that want to utilize drone technologies,” Parry said.
Recent announcements by GENIUS NY teams demonstrate the quality of the program, which is funded by Empire State Development in a model similar to Buffalo’s highly successful 43North program. Teams from GENIUS NY round one and two continue to hit growth milestones and have attracted outside investments, made connections and established partnerships with local businesses, and have made hires or currently have openings.
The advancement of the GENIUS NY program builds on the progress of CNY Rising, the region’s award-winning strategic plan to generate robust economic growth and community development.
Throughout the program, teams will engage with community leaders, mentors, and advisors from leading companies in Central New York while also participating in tourism activities in the region. The goal is to encourage all participants to establish roots here and continue to grow their business.
About GENIUS NY
GENIUS NY, which is funded by Empire State Development and housed at CenterState CEO’s The Tech Garden in Syracuse, will invest more than $3 million in five companies over the course of the year-long competition – making it the largest business accelerator competition for the UAS industry in the world. The advancement of the GENIUS NY program builds on the progress of CNY Rising, the region’s award-winning strategic plan to generate robust economic growth and community development. In addition to the investments, the program also offers company stipends, incubator space, resources, programming and mentorship.
As a private, national research university, Clarkson is a leader in technological education and sustainable economic development through teaching, scholarship, research and innovation. We ignite personal connections across academic fields and industries to create the entrepreneurial mindset, knowledge and intellectual curiosity needed to innovate world-relevant solutionsand cultivate the leaders of tomorrow. With its main campus located in Potsdam, N.Y., and additional graduate program and research facilities in the New York Capital Region, Beacon, N.Y., and New York City, Clarkson educates 4,300 students across 95 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, the arts, education, sciences and health professions. Our alumni earn salaries that are among the top 2.5% in the nation and realize accelerated career growth. One in five already leads as a CEO, senior executive or owner of a company.