A Celebration of Entrepreneurship

Westchester County’s Element 46 incubator program, which is designed to help catalyze growth of start-ups, recently celebrated the graduation of the first cohort of entrepreneurs.

Element 46 incubator provides programming, mentoring and free workspace, to enable startups to develop their businesses within a network of peers. Entrepreneurs are embedded in an existing start-up community in one of a number of thriving co-working spaces in urban centers or communities within Westchester.

The graduation was held at a special reception on October 29 at HudCo, a coworking space located within a converted factory along the Hudson River in Dobbs Ferry. Attending the reception were business leaders and County officials Also attending the reception was BCW President and CEO Marsha Gordon who serves as Co-Chair of the Element 46 Board.

“As Co-Chair of the Element 46 Board, I congratulate the graduates for their exciting and innovative projects. We look forward to seeing their hard work and imagination translate into successful new start-up businesses for Westchester County,” said Gordon.
“In Westchester County we are not complacent – we are always looking for new ways to help our start-ups and small businesses thrive. Element 46 was designed to provide valuable advice and mentorship in key areas to help these businesses flourish. I want to congratulate each one of these talented entrepreneurs for their vision and commitment to turn promising ideas into successful businesses in Westchester,” said Westchester County Executive George Latimer.
Bridget Gibbons, Director of the County Office of Economic Development said, “Element 46 is designed to create an environment where our County’s incredibly talented community of innovative start-ups can attract investor interest and become successful new businesses. The first graduating cohort of Element 46 represents the very best of the entrepreneurial spirit in Westchester.”

The graduates and their 12 start-ups are:

Michael Sellers of Journeyman Bakery, a bread-by-subscription bakery based in Peekskill that specializes in naturally fermented (sourdough) loaves.

Orane Barrett of Kool Nerd Club, a “workforce exposure company” that partners with employers to provide early career exposure to diverse students resulting in a prepared talent pipeline.

Marci Lobel-Esrig of SilverBills, a start-up that receives, scrutinizes and stores bills on behalf of clients and ensures that bills are paid on time and correctly.

John Bekisz of UASVues, an unmanned aerial systems (UAS) consulting and service provider in the New York metropolitan area based in Westchester County.

Susanne Shoemaker of Undercare, which is creating adaptive undergarments that do not require one to bend, balance, or stand on one leg in order to get dressed.

Jack Martin of JackKnife Sharpening, which provides both residential and commercial sharpening of all cutlery, Serrated, gardening and other tools.

Lisa Albanese of BioSand Bag Filter, a company dedicated to becoming the leading supplier of green, affordable, continuous water filters in the global effort to combat the world’s water crisis.

Terence Finn of Velotooler, a B2B software company that is streamlining the $35+ billion bicycle industry by connecting bicycle manufacturers with local skilled service providers to deliver service at the consumer’s home.

Alexander Davidas of DF Media, an integrated media company, focused on creating authentic and high-quality car-centric video content.

Beth Turner and Katie McCorry of Beyond Flowers and Food, which is reinventing the way people support each other during life’s hardest moments, such as during an illness or after a death.

Courtney Stanley of Tobu, which intends to be the first of its kind, state-of-the-art indoor parkour and obstacle training course for kids 5+ in Westchester County.
Chris Oates of Blue Yonder Brands, Inc, which is introducing a new line of uniquely sourced sparkling waters called WaJu that are 100% extracted from real, water-rich organic fruit such as watermelons and oranges.

The 12 startups are the first cohort in the Element 46 program, a 4-month pilot program which they all completed. The next cohort, which will start in February 2020, will be a 6-month program.