Bro, you lift? Welcome to Wednesday, iron-pumping innovators, as we add a few weight plates and powerlift our way through another busy workweek.
We’re here to trim the fat and build the lean muscle of socioeconomic innovation – and to lift your spirits, of course. Gear up!
Thanks for all the fish: Earth’s oceans (and their many inhabitants) swim a victory lap today.
The ocean(s) blue: Let’s start with a swim – an ideal choice on World Ocean Day, when Earth’s oceans take center stage (or is that ocean, singular? There’s anywhere between one and six, depending on perspective).
Other nature-angled events celebrated today include the International Day of Action for Elephants in Zoos, which sounds like a zany call to a hairbrained prison break but is actually about the tragic consequences of living in captivity.
Jelly belly: After you’ve liberated a few elephants, figuratively or otherwise, celebrate with a delicious jelly doughnut – fair game on Jelly-Filled Doughnut Day, also horked down in two mighty bites every June 8.
I scream, you scream: It’s getting summery out there, so you may prefer something cold – which is interesting, since a New York City innovator first thought to sell ice cream 236 years ago today.
We all scream: You know who loved ice cream? James Madison (true story). And that’s interesting, because the future fourth U.S. President introduced the Bill of Rights on June 8, 1789.
Clean living: If the then-former President Madison accidentally dribbled chocolate sauce on his tunic, he’d be happy to know Quebec inventor Noah Cushing landed a Canadian patent for an automatic clothes-washing machine on June 8, 1824 – the very first Canadian patent, in fact.
Cleans up nice: Conservationist Teddy Roosevelt, riding rough.
Bull Moose moment: Often in need of clean clothes was Rough Rider, avid outdoorsman and determined conservationist Theodore Roosevelt, the U.S. President who created the National Conservation Commission on this date in 1908.
The commission, which sprung out of a highly successful White House conference on conservation, would lay the groundwork for decades of national ecological and environmental policies.
Three’s company: And speaking of species conservation, the world’s first test-tube triplets arrived a month early, but completely healthy, on June 8, 1983.
The trifecta followed three sets of twins and roughly 150 babies worldwide conceived via in vitro fertilization, starting with the first “test tube baby” born in England in 1978.
In his DNA: English biochemist Francis Crick (1918-2004), who shared a 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with names you know for decoding the molecular structure of DNA, would be 106 years old today.
The painter and the puncher: Ring announcer Neiman (right) eyes Sly in “Rocky III.”
Also born on June 8 were Italian-French astronomer Gian Domenico Cassini (1625-1712), who split Saturn’s rings and much more; American architect, designer, writer and educator Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), whose mission was to “make life beautiful”; American artist LeRoy Neiman (1921-2012), whose “Rocky” cameos are second only to his brilliant paintings; American comedian, actress, producer, writer and television personality Joan Alexandra Molinsky (1933-2014), known best as the inwardly and outwardly acerbic Joan Rivers; and English computer scientist Sir Timothy Berners-Lee (born 1955), the true inventor of the World Wide Web.
Walk all over you: And take a bow, Nancy Sinatra! The American singer and actress – whose signature song “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” reached No. 1 on U.S. and UK singles charts – turns 82 today.
Give Old Blue Eyes’ eldest daughter (who also belted out one of the better Bond title songs) your best at editor@innovateli.com, where these inboxes are made for news tips and calendar events.
About our sponsor: Presberg Law P.C. is Long Island’s premier “IDA” and business-law firm for businesses locating, relocating and expanding on Long Island. Founded in 1984, this multigenerational practice focuses on the purchase, sale, leasing and financing of commercial and industrial realestate, SBA and other loan transactions, construction projects and business sales and acquisitions.
BUT FIRST, THIS
Strike up the band: High school musicians (from left) Stephanie Massimo, Gioianna DiGiorgio, Tiantian Wei and Andrew Arloro are going places.
Playing their song: Four Long Island high schoolers with great musical ambitions – and boatloads of talent – have earned 2022 Music Scholarships from the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.
The $500 Distinction In Music Awards will offset educational expenses for four youngsters who plan to study music in college, en route to a professional music career. This year’s winners include Half Hollow Hills West singer Gioianna DiGiorgio, who’s slated to study performing arts this fall at Baldwin Wallace University, and Half Hollow Hills East High School French horn player Andrew Arloro, who’s enrolled in the Julliard School’s Bachelor of Music program starting later this year.
Also earning scholarships were Great Neck North High School senior Tiantian “Emily” Wei, a violinist taking her musical talents to the Mannes School of Music, and Syosset High School trombonist Stephanie Massimo, on her way to the University of Tampa. “The Long Island Music Hall of Fame is honored to have the opportunity to support and acknowledge accomplished high school seniors who are pursuing a future in music,” noted LIMHoF Education Chairman Tom Needham. “In addition to following their own dreams, we believe these students will encourage and inspire others.”
Bright reflection: For Long Island, there’s good news and there’s bad news on the solar-energy front, and it’s the same news.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority has awarded new contracts for 22 large-scale solar-power and energy-storage projects, marking the state’s largest land-based procurement for renewable-energy projects to date – and, combined with existing solar and offshore-wind projects, promising enough zero-carbon electricity to power 66 percent of New York State by 2030. Unfortunately for Nassau and Suffolk counties, none of the projects (which also promise $2.7 billion in private investment and more than 3,000 new jobs) are on Long Island.
But spurring billions in investments and propelling Albany toward its ambitious zero-carbon goals benefits all New Yorkers, according to Anne Reynolds, executive director of the Albany-based Alliance for Clean Energy NY, an industrial coalition dedicated to energy efficiency and economic growth. “[The contracts] demonstrate that New York State continues its strong commitment to clean our electric grid, and the renewable-energy industry is seriously stepping up to develop and invest in New York,” Reynolds said.
POD PEOPLE
Episode 20: David Chauvin, taking social responsibility.
You only think you’re ready for Season 3 of Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast … but not until you’ve completed the gauntlet of Seasons 1 and 2, featuring two dozen intimate, entertaining and enlightening one-on-ones with Long Island’s most influential innovators. Prepare yourself.
TOP OF THE SITE
Bay watch: A prestigious global conservation organization ranks the South Shore’s Shinnecock Bay among the world’s most pristine oceanic regions.
Following directions: Albany would like to install about $175 million in electric-vehicle “fast chargers” around the state – but where? That’s up to you.
DIY: Thank you for sharing this engaging newsletter with your entire innovation team. Now get them their own free-and-easy subscriptions, because you’re not, like, the messenger boy.
VOICES
It’s the continuing adventures of Pitfall Harry as Voices historian Tom Mariner, executive director of Bayport-based Long Island Bio, recalls the birth of the smash-hit 1982 videogame “Pitfall!”, its tangential connections to Long Island and its vital lessons about the need to consistently innovate.
STUFF WE’RE READING
Fins in the water: Behold, the Fintech 50 – the year’s most innovative startups in personal finance, investing and crypto. Forbes calculates their chances.
Sea hunt: New York State is preparing for shark season with new drones and other high-tech resources. WSHU Public Radio braves the waters.
Tanks a lot: From the biggest ask to the youngest entrepreneur to the most successful product, here’s the “Shark Tank” record book (so far). Looper lines them up.
RECENT FUNDINGS
+ JupiterOne, a North Carolina-based provider of a Cyber Asset Attack Surface Management Platform, raised $70 million in Series C funding led by Tribe Capital, Intel Capital, Alpha Square Group, Sapphire, Bain Capital Ventures, Cisco Investments and Splunk Ventures.
+ Vernal Biosciences, a Vermont-based mRNA manufacturer, closed a $21 million financing led by Ampersand Capital Partners, Dynamk Capital, Alloy Therapeutics, ATUM and new investor Charles River Laboratories.
+ HourWork, a Massachusetts-based SaaS Recruitment-and-retention platform for quick-serve restaurant franchisees, raised $2.5 million in additional Series A funding led by MassMutual’s MM Catalyst Fund, Morgan Stanley’s Next Level Fund, Positive Sum Ventures and RelishWorks.
+ Felux, an Ohio-based online B2B marketplace and supply-chain platform for steel and other metals, raised $19 million in Series A funding led by EquipmentShare, Signia Venture Partners, Suffolk Technologies, Expa, Lightbank, 8VC and JumpStart Ventures, among others.
+ Prisms VR, a California-based learning platform for math education, raised $4.25 million in seed funding led by Andreessen Horowitz, WXR Fund, Anorak Ventures, Avalanche VC and Zahir Dossa, among others.
+ Constrafor, a New York City-based SaaS construction-focused procurement and financing platform, raised $100 million in seed funding led by Fintech Collective, Village Global, Clocktower Technology Ventures, Commerce Venture, Ramp, Uber and Paxos.
Like this newsletter? Innovate Long Island newsletter, website and podcast sponsorships are a prime opportunity to reach the inventors, investors, entrepreneurs and executives you need to know (just ask Presberg Law). Marlene McDonnell can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD
You are what you sleep: Eat right, sleep right.
Breakfast of champions: How the cardiac-conscious start the day right.
Failure to lunch: How Grubhub’s free-lunch promotion failed so spectacularly.
Late-night menu: How to satisfy the midnight munchies without sabotaging sleep.
Moveable feast: Please continue supporting the amazing firms that support Innovate Long Island, including Presberg Law, among the region’s most experienced and dynamic commercial real estate legal experts. Check them out.
