Sunny disposition: Mind the glare, dear readers – it’s Wednesday already, and we’re blazing into the back half of this sunny springtime work-sprint.
It’s been a sun-drenched stretch here on Long Island, and in response, the innovation economy is warming up nicely. Here are a skyful of bright ideas to help you shine on.
Warm reception: Give it up today for the receptionists, who keep the office moving.
Small ones are sweeter: We open May 10 with one of our most-favorite made-up holidays – National Small Business Day, honoring Mom and Pop and all the local entrepreneurs who think small and make it work.
Among those most responsible for making things work is whomever answers calls, greets visitors, directs deliveries and otherwise keeps businesses flowing – heroes of the hour on National Receptionists Day, a second-Wednesday-in-May staple.
In the bag: National Golf Day (saluting what is, technically, a cross-country sport) also takes a swing today, and after you play a round, cozy up with a nice shrimp cocktail – par for the course on National Shrimp Day, also breaking out of its shell every May 10.
Hammer time: California Gov. Leland Stanford celebrated with a shrimp cocktail on this date in 1869 after driving in the ceremonial Golden Spike uniting the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads. (We don’t know that, obviously, but he did swing the hammer and hit the thing.)
Notable nominee: Woodhull and the Equal Rights Party were way ahead of their time.
Ahead of the curve: Also nailing it was the Equal Rights Party, which nominated Victoria Woodhull as its Presidential candidate on May 10, 1872 (the first U.S. woman so nominated, with former slave Frederick Douglass tapped as her VP running mate).
Mother load: Speaking of ladies-first innovations, Mother’s Day became a thing 115 years ago today at an Episcopal church in West Virginia.
Cat scan: Also showing a lot of heart was American surgeon John Gibbon Jr., who kept a cat alive with his proprietary heart-lung machine during a May 10, 1935, operation – proving an external pump could serve as an artificial heart during surgery.
To the max: And let’s see that again – Sony introduced the Betamax videocassette recorder to Japanese markets on this date in 1975.
Promising an “end to the war of the channels,” Betamax reigns forever as the first home videocassette recorder.
Brew master: British merchant Sir Thomas Johnstone Lipton (1850-1931) – a shop owner-turned-tea magnate and famed yachtsman who turned five straight America’s Cup losses into a clever marketing strategy – would be 173 years old today.
In step: Astaire (here with frequent partner Ginger Rogers) is synonymous with “dance.”
Also born on May 10 were French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788-1827), who helped establish the wave theory of light; English geologist Henry Clifton Sorby (1826-1908), the “father of microscopical petrography”; American dancer, actor, singer and choreographer Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz, 1899-1987), arguably humanity’s best-known dancer; British American astrophysicist Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (1900-1979), the pioneering astronomer who divined the chemical composition of stars; and Irish singer, songwriter, activist and philanthropist Paul David Hewson (born 1960), known best as Bono.
Mellow fellow: And take a bow, Donovan! The Scottish musician, songwriter and record producer – born Donovan Phillips Leitch and beloved for his distinctive blend of folk, pop, jazz and psychedelic rock – turns 77 today.
Wish the folk star well at editor@innovateli.com, where our distinctive voice is always jazzed up by your news tips – and mellowed out by your calendar events.
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BUT FIRST, THIS
Role reversal: A Long Island cornerstone of grant-attracting scientific research is doling out some hefty funding for a change.
National Academy of Science members
Texas two-step: University of Texas researchers Helen Hobbs and Jonathan Cohen will share the Ross prize spoils.
, both researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, will share the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research’s 10th annual Ross Prize in Molecular Medicine, bestowed annually by Molecular Medicine, Feinstein’s peer-reviewed scientific journal. The scientists each earn a $50,000 Ross Prize award staked by Feinstein Institutes Board Vice Chairman Jack Ross and his wife, Robin.
Hobbs, a professor of internal medicine and molecular genetics, and Cohen, UT’s C. Vincent Prothro Distinguished Chair in Human Nutrition Research, discovered the genetic cause of fatty liver disease in humans, heralding a new class of cholesterol-lowering drugs. “Hobbs and Cohen identified genetic mutations that form the basis of important new therapies to reduce cholesterol levels and prevent cardiovascular disease,” noted Feinstein Institutes President and CEO Kevin Tracey. “This year’s Ross Prize recipients are pioneering scientists who persisted until their discovery was translated into clinical use.”
Bank-rolled: A Buffalo-based bank with a large Long Island presence has dipped into its corporate checking account to benefit 13 regional nonprofits.
The M&T Charitable Foundation, philanthropic arm of M&T Bank, has announced the New York- and Connecticut-based Phase One recipients of its $25 million Amplify Fund, a comprehensive investment program sprouting from M&T’s 2022 acquisition of People’s United Bank. The 13 Long Island entities – each focused in some way on “environmental and financial empowerment,” according to M&T Bank – were selected through a competitive RFP process and will share $585,000 in Phase One funding.
The winning LI nonprofits – including the Citizens Campaign for the Environment, the Long Island Housing Partnership, the Central Islip Civic Council and other influential Island organizations – are ideal representatives of the Amplify Fund’s goals, according to M&T Bank Long Island Regional President Jason Lipiec. “M&T is proud to support Long Islanders in the distribution of grants to 13 worthy organizations,” Lipiec said in a statement. “We are deeply committed to investing in our local businesses and community partners.”
POD PEOPLE
Episode 3: Adrienne Esposito, campaigning citizen.
Season 4 of “Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast” drops soon – get ready by re-hearing some of your favorites from Seasons 1-3.
Will it be Robert Zimmerman castigating shameless creep George Santos? Kevin Tracey spilling bioelectronics’ secrets? Dawn Smallwood revealing the techniques of policing a city-sized university? How about John Wallace discussing his philanthropic life after playing for the Knicks, or Robert Catell reviewing decades of regional energy innovations?
Your favorites are up to you. We’re just happy to present such an awesome show.
TOP OF THE SITE
Eyes have it: Northwell Health is supporting a startup pushing a breakthrough Australian tech combining AI power and next-level retina scans.
Get their freq on: Farmingdale State has powered up a cutting-edge radio frequency/microwave science lab, thanks to a generous graduate.
Always free/easy/synchronized: Our weekly Calendar Newsletter – all the fun socioeconomic relevance, plus regional networking events up the wazoo – is for subscribers only. But it couldn’t be easier to keep your innovation team on the same page.
VOICES
Artificial intelligence and its increasing role in everyday life is the stuff of global debate – but there’s no arguing AI’s value as a healthcare tool, according to former Northwell Health Senior Vice President and Voices healthcare anchor Terry Lynam, who showcases one breakthrough tech’s rapid rise.
STUFF WE’RE READING
Thirst quencher: Reverse osmosis could be the surprise desalination breakthrough a thirsty world has been waiting for. Wired freshens up.
When worlds collide: Combining satellite and cellular technologies could spark the next innovation revolution. The Hill combines forces.
The people’s money: With $104 billion back in their pockets, Russian oligarchs are laughing off the West’s economic sanctions. Forbes gets richer.
RECENT FUNDINGS
+ Cloudburst Technologies, a New York City-based cyberthreat-intelligence solutions provider, raised $3 million in seed funding led by Strategic Cyber Ventures, with participation from Coinbase Ventures and Bloccelerate.
+ Olyns, a California-based recycling technologies innovator, raised $4 million in Series A funding led by Vanedge Capital.
+ GoodShip, a Tennessee-based freight-tech startup, raised $5 million in seed funding co-led by Ironspring Ventures and Chicago Ventures.
+ Convergent Therapeutics, a Massachusetts-based clinical-stage biotech, raised $90 million in Series A funding led by OrbiMed and RA Capital Management, with participation from Invus.
+ Range, a Washington-based wealth-tech AI platform, raised $12 million in Series A funding led by Gradient Ventures.
+ MayMaan Research, a Florida-based clean-energy tech innovator, received a $30 million Series A investment from Wave Equity Partners.
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 SUNY Old Westbury). Marlene McDonnell can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (Artificial Intelligence For Hire Edition)
Data driven: Is AI coming for your job, too?
Replaceable: Eight in 10 jobs could be lost to AI soon.
Indispensable: These jobs appear to be AI-proof – at least for now.
Unmistakable: How ChatGPT is punctuating the latest Hollywood writer’s strike.
Personable: Please continue supporting the amazing institutions that support Innovate Long Island, including SUNY Old Westbury, where they take an individualized approach to helping each student succeed academically and personally. Check them out.
