Picente Announces New Economic Development Initiative

A new economic development initiative aimed at growing local high tech entrepreneurship through innovation and collaboration is coming to Oneida County.

County Executive Anthony Picente was at MVCC's thINCubator in Utica today to welcome the Innovation Collective to the area.

Picente was joined by Mohawk Valley Community College President of Community Development Frank DuRoss and Martin Babinec, Chairman and Founder of Upstate Venture Connect.

The Innovation Collective is an organization based in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho that helps communities stimulate economic development from the bottom up.

“With traditional means of economic development already revitalizing downtown Utica and establishing Rome as a global hub for UAS and cyber security research and development, adding the Innovation Collective’s unique model for accelerating organic business growth into the mix will take Oneida County to the next level,” Picente said. “I look forward to working together to unleash the entrepreneurial spirit of our residents and unlock the full potential of our community.”

A series of public events will be held starting later this month, including story-tell nights, idea-sharing and week-long mentoring summits.

The first Innovation Collective event will be a fireside chat on September 25th at the thINCubator.

Since the Innovation Collective’s launch in 2014, its unlocked $57 million in new investments, helped launch over 50 new LLCs, encouraged new education programs and inspired more than 15,000 program participants.