Winterfylleth (not the band): Welcome to Wednesday, dear readers, and not just any Wednesday but the first Wednesday of October 2025 – the first day of October, in fact, as the 10th month begins and we dive deeper into Autumn.
September is over, so no more complaining about pumpkin spice – not with Halloween in sight and the Thanksgiving season set to follow. Sure, the long-range Long Island forecast says 80 degrees next week, but you might as well put away the shorts and air conditioners and break out the flannel sheets and shirts. It’s Fall.
Egg-ceptions: No animals were harmed in the making of these cookies.
Tunes in: “Winterfylleth,” as you likely know, is the Old English word for “October,” as well as the name of a popular Black Metal band from Manchester, England. Here’s a snazzy sample of their unique sound – part of our Oct. 1 tribute to International Music Day, the International Music Council’s annual celebration of tunes and lyrics and songs of all kinds.
(Almond) milk and cookies: Speaking of alternative choices, today is also World Vegetarian Day, dining exclusively on foodstuffs that never had parents – and not directly contradicting National Homemade Cookies Day, which passes Oct. 1 inspection if you carefully replace eggs, butter and dairy ingredients with “flax egg,” vegan oils and plant-based milks.
Siemens starts: Now a multinational technology conglomerate focused on automation, rail-based transportation and healthcare, German giant Siemens AG was founded on this date in 1847 by master innovator Werner von Siemens, cousin Johann Siemens and partner Johann Georg Halske (as the Telegraphen-Bauanstalt von Siemens & Halske in Berlin).
Bureau begins: That long-range forecast back there would not be possible without the U.S. Weather Bureau, which was nearly done in this year by reckless DOGE cuts but was the height of scientific ingenuity when it officially formed as a civilian agency (under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Agriculture) on Oct. 1, 1890.
Fit to a T: Ford would produce more than 15 million iconic Model Ts, starting on this date in 1908.
Ford’s first: Speaking of auspicious openings, Ford’s first production-level Model T – of some 15 million to follow – was completed 117 years ago today at the automaker’s state-of-the-art Detroit assembly plant.
Administration activates: Also introducing itself was the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, which adopted that “NASA” monicker – glossing up the former “National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics” – on this date in 1958.
ACA arrives: And it was Oct. 1, 2013, when the Affordable Care Act – President Barack Omaba’s ambitious attempt to provide more Americans with access to affordable healthcare – inaugurated its first open-enrollment period.
While the enrollment opening marked a key step in implementing the lightning-rod law, the ACA’s opening act was marred by website difficulties and overshadowed by a concurrent government shutdown, during which Congressional Republicans attempted to dismantle, defund or at least delay the policy known best as “Obamacare.”
Master plan: Ip Man began learning Wing Chun at age 9 and was teaching it by age 20.
Everybody Wing Chun tonight: Chinese martial artist Ip Man (born Ip Kai-man, 1893-1972) – the Wing Chun grandmaster known alternately as Yip Man, known better from a successful 2008 biopic and known best as Bruce Lee’s teacher – would be 132 years old today.
Also born on Oct. 1 were American archeologist Esther Boise Van Deman (1862-1937), who accurately dated ancient Roman architecture; American business magnate William Boeing (1881-1956), who took off in the lumber business before changing the aviation industry forever; American politician and humanitarian James Earl Carter Jr. (1924-2024), an underperforming President of the United States but revered statesman and Nobel Peace Prize winner; Irish actor, singer and songwriter Richard Harris (1930-2002), an immense talent who won a Grammy and a Golden Globe but became more famous for his offscreen indulgences; and British politician Theresa Mary May (born 1956), the second woman to serve as British Prime Minister (and no fan of Brexit, though she dutifully followed the people’s will).
Yes, Sir: And take a bow, Rodney Cline “Rod” Carew! The legendary Panamanian American baseball player and coach – a seven-time American League batting champion and 1991 National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee who was born on a train, shaped his swing whacking battle caps with broomsticks and retired as one Major League Baseball’s best-ever pure hitters – turns 80 today.
Give “Sir Rodney” your best at editor@innovateli.com, where we swing for the fences with your news tips and calendar events.
About our sponsor: Whether it’s helping in site selection, cutting through red tape or finding innovative ways to meet specific needs, businesses that settle in the Town of Islip soon learn that we take a proactive approach to seeing them succeed. If your business wants to locate or expand in a stable community with great quality of life, then it’s time you took a closer look at Islip.
BUT FIRST, THIS
Additive manufacturing: An annual celebration of national manufacturing enterprises will once again be stretched out – and beefed up – across Long Island.
National Manufacturing Day, a first-Friday-of-October function of the National Association of Manufacturers, is built to shift perceptions, strengthen workforce foundations and otherwise inspire the next generation of manufacturing professionals. The observance is especially embraced across Long Island, which boasts a historically robust, innovative and diverse manufacturing ecosystem – and regularly stretches the annual day into a month’s worth of high-tech, recruitment-minded industrial showcases.
Headline events on the 2025 slate include “Salute to Manufacturing” symposium/floor shows Oct. 22 at Suffolk County Community College in Selden and Oct. 27 at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City, as well as a Nov. 1 “Career Conversation” at the Cradle – a “speed dating” setup pairing students with potential future employers. Exhibitor-booth, site-tour, Career Conversation and discussion-group opportunities abound; more information right here.
Forward momentum: Andrea Goldsmith, Stony Brook University’s freshly minted seventh president, delivered her first-ever State of the University address this week.
State examination: Trumpeting her institution’s leadership positions in national healthcare and scientific research, Stony Brook University President Andrea Goldsmith delivered her first-ever State of the University Address on Monday.
The university’s seventh president – an accomplished academician who was crowned in February by the State University of New York Board of Trustees and officially took the reins in August – reflected on her journey as a scientist, engineering professor and Princeton University dean, touted impressive SBU statistics (four-year graduation rates up 21 percent over the last decade, creating a $430 million economic benefit) and stressed three key principles throughout her narrative: believing in herself, forging new forward paths and embracing high-reward risks, the same “ambitious, optimistic and bold” spirit that defines Stony Brook.
The SUNY flagship’s “drive to excel, to innovate and to elevate every person” resonated deeply throughout her recruitment, the new president added. “I want Stony Brook to signal excellence and impact across every discipline for everyone in the United States and around the world,” Goldsmith said. “But to achieve our bold vision requires all of you to be all in … and we’re going to start right now.”
TOP OF THE SITE
Hungry for more: Longtime Long Island Cares-The Harry Chapin Food Bank President and CEO Paule Pachter bids farewell after an epic food-insecurity run – and warns successors that even as federal funding fades, hunger-related needs are rising fast.
Targeted promo: Coming soon – more enlightening conversations with the leaders of the regional innovation economy. Now playing – nearly five-dozen one-on-ones filled with humor, innovation and hope. Take your pick – you can’t miss!
VOICES
Neuromodulation is imperfect, improving and already impressive, according to Intelligent Product Solutions Vice President of Technology and Business Development Brad Carlson – and as the Voices technology anchor dives deeper into the world of electronic nerve stimulation, he discovers virtually unlimited healthcare possibilities.
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STUFF WE’RE READING
Male pattern: The secretary of defense demands the “highest male standard” in his “warrior ethos” command performance. The BBC swims in testosterone.
Down scope: All signs Tuesday pointed toward an imminent government shutdown. Politico hunkers down.
Market value: “Idea marketplaces” can take innovation from idea to execution. Harvard Business Review connects loose ends.
RECENT FUNDINGS
+ Zania, a California-based artificial intelligence platform for security governance, risk and compliance, raised $18 million in a Series A funding round led by New Enterprise Associates, with participation from Anthology Fund (backed by Menlo Ventures and Anthropic), Palm Drive Capital and a syndicate of senior executives representing Amazon, Airbnb, PayPal, ByteDance, Reddit, Roblox and PwC.
+ Viamericas, a Florida-based provider of international remittance and money-transfer services, raised $113.6 million in funding led by Old National Bank, with participation from Bank of Oklahoma Financial, Axos Bank and U.S. Bank.
+ Eve, a California-based AI platform supporting plaintiff law firms, raised $103 million in Series B funding led by Spark Capital, with participation from existing investors Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Menlo Ventures.
+ Vice.co, a New York City-based advertising platform hyper-targeting connected TV opportunities, raised $50 million in a Series B financing round led by Hedosophia, with participation from Elaia and Singular, QuantumLight, Illusian and angel investors.
+ Hospitable, a California-based SAAS provider focused on property management, raised $1.5 million in funding. The investment was made directly by customers and employees.
+ Anything, a California-based AI platform that turns natural-language prompts into production-ready mobile and web apps, raised $11 million in Series A funding led by Footwork, with participation from M13.
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 the Town of Islip). Gregory Zeller can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (Next-Generation Healthcare Edition)
Fake news: Posted by President Trump himself, the phony “medbed” video was filled with fantasy.
Personal word: The personalized medicine market will soar past $1 trillion over the next decade.
Pharmaceuticals in spaaaaace: Why future cancer drugs could be manufactured in orbit.
Bedtime story: Sorry – despite AI-generated hoax videos, medbeds aren’t real.
Generational talent: Please continue supporting the outstanding organizations that support Innovate Long Island, including the Town of Islip Office of Economic Development, where skilled business-building professionals are ready to create your best commercial future. Check them out.
