Molecular Glasses, an emerging high tech firm based at Eastman Business Park, is among five early-stage companies who were selected as finalists in the 2016 Rochester Venture Challenge from among the 29 companies that entered the competition last January.
The five finalists are competing for more than $40,000 in cash and prizes to help accelerate their growth.
The finalists will make their live presentations to a panel of judges on Wednesday, April 20th at the Hyatt Regency Rochester. The presentations are free to the public.
The judges will select the winners, who will be announced at the Celebration of Entrepreneurship Luncheon starting at noon. Last year’s Celebration of Entrepreneurship Luncheon attracted over 300 business leaders, entrepreneurs and investors.
Molecular Glasses, Inc. , is an innovator and technology licensor in the development of novel NONcrystallizable™ organic semiconductor materials for OLED and other organic electronic applications. These materials are provided to manufacturers for their use in commercializing stable and long-lived electronic displays, lighting products, organic solar cells, and thin film transistors.
The five finalist companies, their leaders and industry sectors are:
- Cenify, LLC (Alec Satterly) Internet / Web Services
- Molecular Glasses, Inc. (Michel Molaire) Organic Materials
- NullSpace VR (Lucian Copeland) Virtual Reality Equipment
- SkyOp LLC (Brian Pitre) Education
- Tencar, Inc. (Georgann Carrubba) Medical Devices and Equipment
“With such a strong pool of applicants this year, getting down to these five finalists was no easy task for the selection committee,” said James Senall, president of High Tech Rochester, one of the Challenge’s sponsors. “We all look forward to watching their presentations on April 20th, and to watching all of them grow into successful businesses here in our community.”
The Rochester Venture Challenge is a collaborative effort among community organizations High Tech Rochester, Digital Rochester, The Entrepreneurs Network, Excell Partners, Nazareth College School of Management, Rochester Institute of Technology, and the University of Rochester.