Innovate 518

05/13/2026

Food. Farming. Manufacturing. Innovation.🌱

Join us at Vitality in the Valley: Farm to Factory on June 2–3 at Herkimer College for a one-of-a-kind event celebrating New York State’s food, agriculture, and manufacturing ecosystem.

Whether you're a foodie, fabricator, farmer, entrepreneur, or manufacturer, you’ll discover local flavors, innovative products, networking opportunities, exhibitors, and resources to help your business grow.

🍽️ Enjoy local food and beverage experiences
🤝 Connect with makers, manufacturers, and entrepreneurs
🌱 Explore the future of NYS agriculture and innovation
🎤 Hear from expert voices on resources and entrepreneurship, Dan Rickman, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and Frank Elias, Utica Coffee Roasting Company

➡️ Register today: https://bit.ly/40OB0At

04/20/2026

We are looking forward to hosting Darrin this week at our monthly lunch & learn! You can register at https://albany.jotform.com/team/ualbany-innovation-center/april-lunch--learn-rd-tax-credits

Wednesday, April 22nd at 12PM, in person at the UAlbany ETEC building.

Local tech CEO Darrin Jahnel started another company that's unlike anything he's done before. "We are off to the races on this one. I'm telling you, we've got a winner."

04/17/2026

Very exciting! Congratulations, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences!

A French life science company has selected Albany for its first U.S. location, where it plans to invest $18 million over the next half-decade.

04/16/2026

Don't miss this prototyping event next week at TVCOG!

Hear real life examples of the prototyping process from Troy Fischer at our Practical Prototyping event on April 23rd! If you've ever bought toys, there's a good chance you've come across one of Fischer's inventions. Among his many accomplishments is his LED projection technology. This has brought to life the whimsical faces of Disney's Cars and the Tron action figures at the Disney World theme park experience, which allows your own face on the figure. A lifelong tinkerer with 25 years of toy invention experience, he's passionate about helping others through their prototyping roadblocks through his work as a member and mentor at TVCOG.

Register at www.tvcog.net/community-events

Tech Valley Center of Gravity is a certified NYS Incubator and affiliated Innovate 518 Hotspot partner supported by the Empire State Development Division of Science, Technology, and Innovation (NYSTAR).

04/16/2026

Wednesday, April 22nd -- join us for lunch and learn about R&D tax credits ---> https://bit.ly/rd-tax-credits-april26

Are you leaving R&D tax credits on the table?

Many startups and growing companies are already doing qualifying R&D—without realizing it.

Join Darrin Jahnel and Zach Hartman of InfoLink R&D Tax Specialists for a practical, plain‑language session that breaks down the R&D Tax Credit and shows how companies in manufacturing, software development, engineering, and architecture can turn everyday innovation into real tax savings.

💡 You’ll learn how activities like:

• Improving production processes
• Engineering new or enhanced structural solutions
• Developing custom software for performance or quality

…may qualify for valuable R&D credits.

Key takeaways include:

✔️ What activities qualify across multiple industries
✔️ How “technical uncertainty” applies to real projects
✔️ Documentation best practices to support a claim
✔️ How to assess your organization’s R&D credit potential

👉 Register today and start turning innovation into savings. https://bit.ly/rd-tax-credits-april26

03/19/2026

Are you leveraging your R&D tax credits to the fullest? - https://mailchi.mp/albany/are-you-leveraging-your-rd-tax-credits-to-the-fullest

03/02/2026

Calling entrepreneurs: This series starts in one week!

This multi-part business education series is designed to help entrepreneurs build strong business plans, clarify their marketing strategy, and develop the right team and systems for long-term successes.

➡️ Session 1: Laying the Foundation
📆 March 5, 2026
🕓️ 4 - 6 p.m.
📍 Pursuit (19 British American Boulevard East, Latham)

Full series details and registration: https://members.capitalregionchamber.com/eventcalendar/Details/groundwork-series-i-from-vision-to-viable-business-1643517

Hosted by: our BIPOC Business Growth Initiative, Albany Black Chamber of Commerce & Social Club, Community Loan Fund of the Capital Region, and Pursuit

03/02/2026

Great work by the IsoGuardian team, an Innovate 518-certified company and a member of STEAM Garden and Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences AMPS.

IsoGuardian collaborated with Albany Medical College's Office of Translational Research on a pilot study for their reusable isolation gowns

02/25/2026

Founders Take Over the State Capital -

This month, the Business Incubator Association of New York State (BIANYS) will be in town for legislative visits. Executive Director Regina Gwynn and Deputy Director Kim Grant will be joined by incubator operators, startup founders, and other stakeholders to advocate for incubator and related progra...

01/20/2026

Cutting red tape to help small businesses 🤞 - https://mailchi.mp/albany/good-news-for-small-businesses-on-the-horizon

10/15/2025

Lessons Learned from Founders Who've Been Through It! - https://mailchi.mp/albany/rsvp-today-founder-horror-stories