There”™s no business like your own business.
Nearly 30 percent of students now in college plan to go into business for themselves once they graduate, and 1 percent of them are already engaged in an enterprise of their own, according to Edward Reinfurt, executive director of the New York State Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation in Albany.
Reinfurt, speaking to members of Greater Southern Dutchess Chamber of Commerce members at its annual “Beacon and Eggs” breakfast at the Beacon Institute at Dennings Point on Sept. 1, praised the spirit of entrepreneurship in the U.S. that separates it from other industrialized countries.
According to Reinfurt, IBM Chairman Sam Palmisano agreed, saying that if he had to choose between the 12 countries IBM has employees in, he would choose America for its innovative spirit.
Reinfurt, appointed by Gov. Eliot Spitzer in 2008 and reappointed by Gov. David Paterson in 2009, has been visiting the state”™s 15 colleges designated as centers of academic excellence. That includes Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, which is studying the ecosystem in the Hudson River in tandem with the Beacon Institute with help from IBM. ?NYSTAR considers itself a “technology matchmaker,” created in 2001 by former Gov. George Pataki and now boasting six centers of excellence and 15 centers of advanced technology around the state, including RPI and the University of Albany. The state has invested approximately $1.5 billion in technology innovation since the creation of NYSTAR.
Its newest program is BioNY, created this year to be a one-stop shop for information on life science. The website biony.org provides information on what biotech companies, research centers and individual researchers are doing across the state. Funding opportunities will be posted and companies may find it easier to locate collaborators to grow their business and to help researchers find the right companies to partner with.
“In every company and in every community organization, including our chambers of commerce, it”™s important to recognize the achievements of your staff and the young entrepreneurs in your midst,” said Reinfurt, saying Greater Southern Duchess”™s “40 under 40” event ”“ which draws 1,000 people to Poughkeepsie”™s Civic Center each year ”“ is an “example of giving the next generation the motivation and the attention to dedication it needs to stay engaged.”
