Startups with RIT ties win top honors at business competition
Ken Huth ’88
RIT students Justin Hillery, left, and Sean Petterson won the top prize at the 2012 Rochester Regional Business Plan Contest.
Two startups with ties to RIT received top honors Thursday at the 2012 Rochester Regional Business Plan Contest.
Strong Arm Technologies, run by RIT fourth-year students Sean Petterson and Justin Hillery, won the top prize of $25,000.
The students developed a form-fitting garment that incorporates a system of load-bearing straps that allows workers to lift heavy objects with significantly less risk of injury. The system shifts the forces of lifting from the injury-prone hands, arms, neck, shoulders and lower back and distributes them evenly to stronger and more stable areas of the torso.
SalesCongo, a startup business in RIT’s business incubator, Venture Creations, placed second in the competition. SalesCongo is a software company that partners with the Sales Force website and improves the effectiveness of sales training and coaching.
“We have several RIT alumni on our team and the number one and number two finish by Strong Arm and us is testimony to RIT's role in innovation,” says Ken Kaisen, CEO of SalesCongo.
The Rochester Regional Business Plan Contest encourages entrepreneurship and recognizes new, high-growth ventures in the Rochester area. Thirty-six companies entered the competition. Five finalists presented their business plans to an expert panel of judges Thursday morning. The winners were announced that same day during the Celebration of Entrepreneurship Luncheon.
“We are incredibly proud and thankful to all of those at RIT, especially the Center for Student Innovation, Venture Creations and Professor Carl Lundgren, who have given us invaluable help for this win,” Strong Arm’s Petterson says.
Topics
Recommended News
-
November 22, 2024
![a group of six students and adults stand in front of a sign bearing logos from R I T and other companies.]()
RIT expands research on circular economy in Southeast Asia with new funding boost
A $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of State will continue the work led by professors Clyde Hull and Eric Williams with entrepreneurships based on circular economy principles in member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
-
November 21, 2024
![Various people put their hands together in a circle.]()
Americans agree more than they might think − not knowing this jeopardizes the nation’s shared values
An essay written by Lawrence Torcello, associate professor in the Department of Philosophy, published by The Conversation.
-
November 21, 2024
![an illustrated image of a pixelated face appears next to the words real or fake.]()
Detecting digital deception
Today, artificial intelligence is being used to manipulate media. At RIT, a team of student and faculty researchers is leading the charge to help journalists and intelligence analysts figure out what is real and what is fake. Their work has more than $2 million in funding from the National Science Foundation and Knight Foundation.
-
November 21, 2024
![two men sit at a table looking at a laptop. A third man leans over the table to look at the laptops screen.]()
In and out of Africa
Africa is rich in natural resources and contains one of the most diverse ecosystems across the globe. The Sahara Desert itself is larger than the continental United States. With all the unique landscapes, wildlife, and growing urban areas, more than 30 RIT faculty have recognized the importance of traveling to the continent, all backed by RIT Global.
