All heart: Welcome to Wednesday, dear readers, and welcome back to your beloved innovation newsletter, back on the beat(s) after a brief medical leave. For those keeping score, pulsed-field cardiac ablation is everything you’ve heard and more.
With our ticker retuned, we return to the heart-pounding realm of socioeconomic innovation – starting with this hearty (and heartfelt) midweek review.
Hang in there, little buddy: And find a comfy spot on National Hammock Day.
Think fast (or slow, if you prefer): Today is July 22 and while cardiology is foremost on our minds, our hearts can’t help but throb for World Brain Day, a World Federation of Neurology observation that’s less about intelligent thinking – not really a premium in these parts, at least not lately – than promoting brain health.
If that’s too much to think about, relax – like, literally. It’s also National Summer Leisure Day and National Hammock Day, both encouraging us to take it slow and easy.
Sweet rewards: Food-wise, you’re in for a real treat – several, in fact, as both National Mango Day (incorporating the tropical stone fruit into myriad dishes) and National Penuche Fudge Day (replacing white sugar and chocolate with brown sugar and butter, for a more caramel-like texture and taste) are both served on July 22.
Been there, Dongan that: Not sure if mangos or any kind of fudge were on the menu, but the City of Albany – later to become the capital city of our very own New York State – was chartered on this date in 1688 by Royal Gov. Thomas Dongan.
The Guardians (not to mention the Indians) came later: Other modern metros born on July 22 include the City of Cleveland, founded in 1796 at the mouth of Ohio’s Cuyahoga River by surveyor Moses Cleveland.
Nine lives: So bad it’s great, “Plan 9” is unrivaled in its cheesy awesomeness.
Firth first: Other bodies of water floating to the surface today include the Firth of Tay (a large estuary on Scotland’s east coast), which would be crossed in 1878 by what was, at the time, the world’s longest bridge – the Tay Railway Bridge, the foundation of which was laid on this date 1871. (For the record, it didn’t end well for the historic span.)
Post with the most: Faring much better (at least, this time) was all-time aviator Wiley Post, who – after roughly eight days and the debut of several aeronautical innovations – completed the first solo flight around the world 93 years ago today, returning to his departure point at Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennet Field.
“Plan” to fail: And it was July 22, 1957, when independent J. Edward Reynolds Productions (a.k.a. Reynolds Pictures) officially released “Plan 9 From Outer Space.”
Featuring an alien zombie-resurrection scheme, dangling-hubcap UFOs, a bat$#!+ narration by real-life psychic The Amazing Criswell and completely unrelated B-roll of the late Bela Lugosi, Ed Wood’s disastrous masterpiece is widely considered the best bad movie of all time.
From the Alex Trebek Stage: Canadian American gameshow host and television personality George Alexander “Alex” Trebek (1930-2020) – known best for his 8,200-episode-plus run as “Jeopardy!” host (though it should be for this classic “X-Files” cameo) – would be 96 years old today.
All grown up: Gomez has gone from child star to woman of many talents.
Also born on July 22 were American civil engineer, lawyer and politician James Geddes (1763-1838), who oversaw planning and construction of the Eerie Canal; American author Emma Lazarus (1849-1887), an influential Jewish activist whose poetic prose graces the Statue of Liberty; American philanthropist and socialite Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy (1890-1995), matriarch of the incomparably influential Kennedy clan; American politician, attorney and U.S. Army officer Bob Dole (1923-2021), the longtime Republican leader of the U.S. Senate and one-time GOP presidential nominee who evolved from partisan hatchet-man to respected statesman; and American professional boxer Charles “Sonny” Liston (1932-1970), an undisputed heavyweight champion ranked among the all-time greats.
She’s a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, too: And take a bow, Selena Marie Gomez! The American actress, singer, producer, songwriter and businesswoman – a former child star who grew up to earn Grammy nominations, solve murders (in the building) and launch cosmetics companies – turns 34 today.
Send birthday wishes for Barney the Dinosaur’s old friend to Waverly Place – actually, scratch that, send them to editor@innovateli.com, where we also welcome news tips and calendar events.
About our sponsor: At Nixon Peabody, we deliver sophisticated legal services to our clients and our communities by combining high performance, entrepreneurial spirit, deep engagement and an unwavering commitment to a culture of collaboration, diversity and humanity. Visit NixonPeabody.com.
BUT FIRST, THIS
A yen for learning: One of Long Island’s leading universities and a top Japanese high school have created a student-enrollment pipeline that literally spans the globe.
Yachiyo Shion Junior and Senior High School, located in Japan’s Chiba Prefecture, and SUNY Old Westbury have announced a collaboration that will allow Japanese students to apply for SUNY Old Westbury enrollment and be considered for acceptance into the university during their senior year, as long as their high school work is completed in good standing. The five-year agreement is designed to create opportunities for Yachiyo Shion students to learn about SUNY Old Westbury programming, support future enrollment and encourage cultural exchanges through various collaborative events.
The Old Westbury-based university currently supports 45 international students from various regions – primarily Asia, South America and Europe – and the new collaboration expands the institution’s “commitment to global learning, cultural understanding and educational opportunity,” according to SUNY Old Westbury Director of International Admissions Becky Evans. “These collaborations create meaningful pathways for students and educators to exchange ideas, perspectives and experiences that enrich our campus community and prepare students to thrive in an increasingly interconnected world,” Evans added.
Next stop: Yaphank-BNL is the first new LIRR station since 2021 — and only the second in a half-century.
All aboard: The MTA’s new Yaphank-BNL Long Island Rail Road station is open for business.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority officially commenced service at the new stop July 18, marking the first new LIRR station opened on Long Island since the Elmont-UBS Station debuted in 2021 and only the second new station in 50 years. Relocated from the original Hamlet of Yaphank station on Park Street, the new stop offers improved access to nearby Brookhaven National Laboratory and major thoroughfares including the Long Island Expressway and the William Floyd Parkway.
Built to accommodate trains that are two cars in length – the standard length of trains operating between the LIRR’s Ronkonkoma and Greenport stations – the new stop boasts Americans with Disabilities Act-approved ramp access, a 50-car parking lot and “integrated bus loops,” according to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office. “Customers on eastern Long Island are getting a modern, fully accessible station designed to better meet their needs,” noted LIRR President Rob Free. “Yaphank-BNL improves the customer experience with better amenities, stronger regional connections and the reliable service riders expect from the LIRR.”
TOP OF THE SITE
Q&As in spaaaaace: A Stony Brook University graduate has given earthbound curiosity seekers direct lines of communication to the International Space Station and other orbiting satellites.
What’s the catch? New episodes of “Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast” are coming soon! While you’re waiting, catch up with the private-jet prince, the civic-entrepreneur savant, the communications (and comedy!) king, the modern-media maestro and dozens of other inspirational regional innovators!
VOICES
The long-abandoned Kings Park and Pilgrim psychiatric centers may soon be revived by the Trump Administration’s misguided mental-health policies – but they were closed for good reasons, notes Voices Social Services Anchor Jeffrey Reynolds, who laments a potentially devastating backward step.
STUFF WE’RE READING
Chips off the new block: A super-advanced chip-making tool is now being assembled at New York State’s nanotech hub in Albany. Reuters appreciates the little things.
Chinese buffet: As war and political delusions burn away American Exceptionalism, Chinese innovation is rising fast. The Mises Institute updates the scoreboard.
Keep it down: “Quiet tech” is prioritizing human connections in kitchens across the land. House Beautiful uses its inside voice.
RECENT FUNDINGS
+ Woddle Baby, a Florida-based infant-health monitoring company, raised $5 million in Seed funding led by Capital Q Ventures.
+ SoFab Inks, a Kentucky-based manufacturer focused on specialty materials for perovskite solar projects, raised $6 million in Seed funding led by Cloudberry Ventures.
+ Cordant, a New York City-based unified financial-solutions platform, raised $8 million in Seed funding led Motive Partners and Oak HC/FT, with participation from Bankless VC, FJ Labs, SignalFire, Quona, Next Stage, Selah Ventures, Flatironx, Nascent Ventures, Silvercircle Ventures and Generative Ventures.
+ Gritt, a California-based, AI-powered robotics manufacturer, raised $26 million in Series A funding led by Obvious Ventures, with participation from Union Square Ventures, Active Impact Investments, First Round Capital, Climactic, Congruent Ventures and VSC Ventures.
+ Assort Health, a California-based AI agents healthcare platform focused on the patient journey, raised $120 million in Series C funding led by Menlo Ventures.
+ Augustus, a NYC-based fintech focused on banks in Latin America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa, raised $180 million in Series B funding led by Tiger Global, with participation from Hummingbird, QED, Soma Capital, Road Capital Management, CMT Digital, Brevan Howard Digital, Variant, the founders of Nubank, Ramp, Circle and Deel, and numerous angel investors.
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 – on Long Island, and soon, across New York State (just ask Nixon Peabody). Gregory Zeller can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (“The Odyssey” Edition)
Home stretch: And you thought YOU had a long commute.
Homer’s run: From “The Catcher in the Rye” to “Finding Nemo” to “Star Wars,” the ancient poet’s epic spawned everything you love.
Casting call: Think the Trojan War was bloody? Not compared to the culture war engulfing Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster.
It’s Greek to them: It takes several liberties, but the sprawling IMAX adventure has charmed modern Greece.
Their fame has reached the skies: Perhaps not 2,700 years’ worth, but Nixon Peabody – one of the fantastic firms that support Innovate Long Island – boasts decades of larger-than-life experience (and its own heroic journey). Check them out.
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