LaunchPad and Orange Innovation Awardee Angelo Niforatos G’20, G’25 Finalist for GENIUS NY
LaunchPad alum and Orange Innovation Fund awardee Angelo Niforatos G’20 (College of Engineering & Computer Science), G’25 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management), founder of Vigilare AI, is one of five finalists for the Empire State Development’s GENIUS NY business accelerator. GENIUS NY, operated by CenterState, invests $3 million annually into seed-stage startups focused on uncrewed aerial systems, automation and advanced air mobility. In May 2027 during the Pitch Finals, one of the five finalists will receive a grand prize of $1 million and the other four will receive $500,000. All finalists receive assistance with product and business development, as well as networking opportunities with investors and business leaders. They all operate out of CenterState’s INSPYRE Innovation Hub in downtown Syracuse.
Niforatos will spend the next several months scaling the business, advancing the technology and working within the robust regional uncrewed systems sector. Vigilare AI is building the next generation of intelligent command software for drone and autonomous operations. Its AI-powered platform helps operators quickly understand live data, identify potential threats and make informed decisions, improving efficiency across defense, public safety and commercial industries. Niforatos drew on his experiences at Syracuse University and catalyzed through the NSF I-Corps program to launch his business venture, which began as Niffy Drone Solutions, LLC while he was a graduate student.
Niforatos secured a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract from the Department of the Air Force’s AFWERX program, recognizing Niffy Drone’s potential to increase mission efficiency in defense and emergency response. He also filed a patent for his novel applications of AI and natural language interfaces in drone control systems. Syracuse University provided additional commercialization funding to advance his prototype and proof of concept, allowing Niforatos to move from idea to implementation, including several of SU Libraries' Orange Innovation Fund grant awards.