LaunchPad Student Start-Up Wins First Place in the 2026 New York Business Plan Competition
Updated April 28, 2026
Celes Buffard ’27 (School of Information Studies), founder of SecondWave, won $10,000 for first place in the Learn, Work & Live category of the New York Business Plan Competition (NYBPC), powered by Upstate Capital Association of NY. The competition was held on April 22, 2026, at the Golisano Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship, Rochester. SecondWave combines financial literacy education with fractional real estate investing, starting with fix-and-flip properties and community development.
Nathan Brekke ’26 (College of Engineering and Computer Science), co-founder of Phloat LLC, won $2,000 for 2nd place in the Products & Hardware category. Phloat is a phone case that has a super compact, deployable flotation feature that triggers in the event of a phone falling and sinking into deep water.
Frederick Zindell G’27 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management), founder of Renewed Roots, received a $500 best concept stage award in the Health & Wellbeing category. Renewed Roots is a sustainable alternative to traditional burial options.
NYBPC attracts some of NY State’s best student entrepreneurs. The competition promotes entrepreneurial opportunities for college students from across the state who pitch their business plans to seasoned investors. They also receive the opportunity to engage with mentors and judges from the business community. The Finals event connects students with business professionals, provides experiential learning opportunities through competitions, connects entrepreneurs with resources at the Entrepreneurship Expo, and awards up to $100,000 in cash prizes to help seed new ventures. This year 60 finalist teams across New York State participated in the competition.