Alfred University students Amina Shamshibayeva, Vladyslava Makarenko, and Mike Maeda of ReGrow accept the first-place award and $5,000 check
From Incubator Works,
ReGrow, developed by Alfred University students Amina Shamshibayeva, Vladyslava Makarenko, and Mike Maeda, took home top honors at the sixth annual AHA! Allegany County Startup Collegiate Competition, hosted at Houghton University on Saturday April 11th.
ReGrow is working to produce sustainable, biodegradable packaging using mycelium and local organic waste. The process combines agricultural hay substrate with mycelium, which grows over five days in a controlled environment before being dried and finished to create an eco-friendly alternative to traditional packaging materials. Dr. Jason Morrison, Assistant Professor of Finance at Alfred University, served as academic mentor, while Seann Bishop, Fractional Expert and Advisor, served as industry mentor. The team was awarded the competition’s $5,000 first-place prize.
Ignite Discovery Center, pitched by Houghton University students Katie Berghorn, Corban Gibson, and Elijah Fox, earned second place and the $2,500 prize. The team is working to develop a local creative space for children in Allegany County, offering hands-on educational experiences, a community garden, event and party space, science kits, and unique exhibits replicating career paths which is designed to connect kids, parents, and the broader community. Elissa Tyrrell, Adjunct Professor of Business Administration at Houghton University served as academic mentor and Jennifer Byrnes of Monroe County Library served as industry mentor.
Alfred State College’s Sara Schaubroeck and Zeniya Day finished third with Fostering Experiences and were awarded $1,000. Their event & marketing business will plan, execute, and market community events while connecting colleges, students, and businesses, while employing students in paid, skill-based roles. Tamanna Kabir, Assistant Professor of Business from Alfred State College served as academic mentor and Stacy Gray of FLX Wine Tours served as industry mentor.
The Viewer’s Choice Award, worth $250, went to Southern Tier TechWorX, an Alfred State College team consisting of Richard Rochester and Tyson Comfort. Their business will offer on-site computer and network repair services, available through monthly membership or affordable service fee, with pickup and delivery options. Joe Bailey, lecturer from Alfred State College, served as academic mentor and Trevor Kokot of Saxon Glass served as industry mentor. Over 400 votes were submitted for this award.
This year’s competition was the largest in the event’s history, with 13 teams competing. Also competing were:
• UniConnect (Alfred University — Vinci Armas and Mariam Swedan)
• The Healing Verse Blog (Alfred State College — Diamond Reddick and Dla Denise Mann)
• Schedule Beacon (Alfred University — Christopher Coyle and Robby Hicks)
• Jiaozi Bar (Alfred University — Anlun Zwerver and Sabrina Hryhoriev)
• GoalTrack (Alfred University — William Mahunda and Holly Beda Lymo)
• AccessCare Transport (Alfred State College — Christine Felder and Kadeem Belizaire)
• CoachMe (Alfred University — Mark Ungurian, Matthew Bittel, and Ryan Haggerty)
• Dorm Sweep (Houghton University — Jonas Likens, Jared Wright, and Efrain Arellano-Onate)
• Bliss Planners (Houghton University — Logan Baer, Autumn Windham, and TJ Ehindero)
The mission of the AHA! Competition is to cultivate the entrepreneurial spirit of college students while addressing local challenges and fostering small business development. Teams are encouraged to be cross-disciplinary, bringing together diverse perspectives to identify real problems and build viable solutions. The goal is to inspire the next generation of professionals to build their futures in Allegany County and the surrounding region.
For those who missed the live event, the full competition is available to watch on the IncubatorWorks YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x9-cwXSS3k
The judges for this year’s competition were as follows:
• Ashley Smith, Director of Economic Development for Allegany County
• Sophia Marshall, Senior Program Manager at the University at Buffalo
• Filomena Jack, Artist, and Program Director at IncubatorWorks
“We are thrilled to have had a record-breaking 13 pitches this year from students across Alfred University, Houghton University, and Alfred State College — the most in the competition’s history! The students brought incredibly innovative and thorough pitches, and it was a wonderful day hosted at Houghton University. At IncubatorWorks, we believe that cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset in students is key to driving economic development in our region, and events like this are a testament to that mission. We are excited to see these students take their ideas forward and potentially launch businesses of their own. We especially applaud our winners for their environmentally conscious business concept. IncubatorWorks can’t wait to see what next year’s students come up with!”
Ashleigh Madison, Executive Director, IncubatorWorks
This competition is made possible through partnerships and sponsors including: Alfred University, Alfred State College, Houghton University, Allegany County, the ACCORD Corp., the Western New York Incubator Network, Western NY Wilds, The Center for Advanced Ceramic Technology (CACT) at Alfred University, Sealing Devices Inc., and Hoselton Foundation.
About IncubatorWorks: IncubatorWorks is your local business incubator, where we help people start and grow their businesses. Our mission is to promote economic development in the Southern Tier and Western New York by supporting entrepreneurial growth and job creation across Allegany County, Chemung County, Steuben County, Schuyler County, and surrounding counties.
