BosonQ Psi (now operating as BQP) is a Syracuse, NY-based quantum computing software company whose platform leverages quantum approaches for system optimization, physics simulations, and large-scale AI/ML workloads on high-performance computers. Backed by Armory Square Ventures, BQP was named Upstate Capital's venture deal of the year for 2025.

CleanFiber is a Buffalo, NY-based manufacturer of high-performance cellulose insulation made from recycled corrugated cardboard boxes and other clean fiber sources. The company operates a state-of-the-art production facility in Buffalo with annual capacity of over 3 million bags of insulation. CleanFiber's liquid-enhanced manufacturing process produces what it markets as the purest and best-performing cellulose insulation available.

Southern-Tier materials-science leader — optical fiber and Gorilla Glass (the cover glass on most smartphones).

Rochester imaging giant; the optics/photonics legacy under upstate NY's photonics cluster.

FoodNerd is a Buffalo, NY-based, woman-owned food startup producing organic, nutrient-dense snack puffs made from 100% fruits, vegetables, and sprouted seeds targeted at toddlers. The company closed a $7.5 million Series Seed round and, as of 2025, operates a 30,000 sq. ft. FDA-registered production facility in Clarence, NY.

The largest INDEPENDENT pure-play semiconductor foundry in the US — a merchant foundry that fabricates for others rather than for itself; HQ Malta NY (Capital Region). Specialty technologies, advanced packaging, and classical-quantum integration (cryogenic CMOS). The independence is the point: the open foundry the whole ecosystem can use, the overlooked-critical manufacturing layer rather than a captive fab. Anchor of the NY Tech Valley semiconductor cluster.

International Business Machines; quantum computing recipient ($2B Trump admin grants May 2026)

Memory & storage semiconductor maker (HQ Boise ID). Building a $100B megafab complex in Clay NY near Syracuse for next-generation high-bandwidth memory — the upstate-NY semiconductor cluster, American chip manufacturing the coastal lens overlooks.

Albany NanoTech Complex — the public-private epicenter of US semiconductor R&D. Houses the CHIPS for America EUV Accelerator and serves as the bridge where IBM and partner firms prototype cutting-edge designs on 300mm wafers. Anchor of the NY Capital Region (Tech Valley) semiconductor cluster.

Ovitz is a Rochester, New York-based ophthalmic technology company that provides the world's first automated higher-order aberration (HOA) correction system for vision improvement. The company manufactures portable ophthalmic equipment that diagnoses individuals with abnormal vision and produces customized wavefront-guided contact lenses to neutralize higher-order aberrations across the entire optical system.

Spiky.ai is a SaaS AI company headquartered in Buffalo, NY that delivers real-time sales coaching, CRM sync, and multilingual AI-powered meeting intelligence to help revenue teams make smarter decisions by capturing and analyzing customer conversations.

Tukki is a Buffalo, New York-based legal technology company founded in 2023 that simplifies US immigration for individuals and businesses. The platform combines experienced immigration attorneys with technology to help clients secure visas including O-1A, EB-1A, L-1, and H-1B. Tukki has scaled its immigration platform from Western New York with support from the 43North accelerator.

The Rochester company that built Xerox PARC — birthplace of the GUI, the mouse, Ethernet, and the laser printer; the overlooked source of modern personal computing.