SUNY Cortland student startups win $45,000 from Adam Weitsman

By AI, Created 8:41 PM UTC, May 31, 2026, /AGP/ – Six SUNY Cortland student startups split $45,000 at Innovation Day in early May after businessman Adam Weitsman, owner and CEO of Upstate Shredding-Weitsman Recycling, decided to fund the top student pitches. The money gives the student ventures a boost as the university uses the event to connect entrepreneurship students with local business leaders.

Why it matters: - The funding gives six student startups immediate capital to keep developing products, testing markets and turning class projects into real businesses. - SUNY Cortland’s Innovation Day is designed to connect entrepreneurship students with area businesses, making the awards both a cash boost and a validation of the program. - The projects also show how student ventures are being linked to regional competition, local employers and community partners.

What happened: - Six SUNY Cortland student startups received a combined $45,000 during the university’s Innovation Day in early May. - Adam Weitsman, owner and CEO of Upstate Shredding-Weitsman Recycling, served as a judge and decided to fund the student teams after hearing their pitches. - Weitsman gave $10,000 each to the top three groups and $5,000 each to the other three. - James Wilson, a lecturer of economics, emceed the event and said Weitsman told him, “I’d like to do something nice for your students.” - Wilson said the student reaction was immediate and that he was personally amazed.

The details: - Next Life Junk Removal received $10,000. - Sophomore Ryan Craig built Next Life Junk Removal around collecting recyclable materials and sorting items for donation, recycling or scrap. - Next Life Junk Removal placed first in the regional round of the New York Business Plan Competition and advanced to the state level. - Rockwood by Vinci received $10,000. - Senior Dominic Vinci’s business blends woodcraft and stone elements for the luxury furniture market. - Vinci plans custom tabletops and countertops using 3D modeling and laser cutting technology and aims to launch the business this summer. - Shred Air received $10,000. - Sophomore Bryan Sredniawski, junior Nicholas Bliss and seniors Lyndsey Hillenbrandt, Esteban Mitchell and Morgan Shelvin created a personal-use fan with an automated cleaning system designed to remove dust and bacteria from its blades. - Wilson said the Shred Air team will keep developing the concept at SUNY Cortland’s new Entrepreneurship Center. - Throwing Shade received $5,000. - Senior Jayden Lont runs Throwing Shade, a beach service business on Topsail Island, North Carolina, that rents chairs, tents and other items to visitors. - Lont started the business last year and expanded the concept through Wilson’s classes. - Lont hopes to franchise the business nationwide. - Scrap Fit received $5,000. - Juniors Luka Kvizhinadze and Thomas Wheeler, along with seniors Justin Womeldorph and Christopher Youngs, created workout equipment from junkyard leftovers. - Scrap Fit combines fitness with environmental sustainability. - Scrap Fit also advanced to the state level of the New York Business Plan Competition. - Motion received $5,000. - Senior Jonathan Finewood developed Motion, an app that lets users bet on themselves to reach personal goals. - Wilson said the idea draws on behavioral economics and people’s fear of losing money. - Users set a goal, such as exercising consistently. - If users fail, they lose the bet, with part of the money going to the app and the rest supporting users who succeed. - The judging panel also included SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum and Diana Lawson, a 1976 graduate, dean of the Seidman College of Business at Grand Valley State University and a Cortland College Foundation board member. - The event marked the second year of Innovation Day’s current format. - SUNY Cortland says the format is meant to connect students more closely with area businesses. - Other students presented business plans during morning and afternoon showcases. - Five projects from ECO 365: Community Innovation Lab were delivered to local community partners. - Kathleen Burke, a SUNY distinguished teaching professor of economics, taught ECO 365: Community Innovation Lab. - The community projects included a website update for the City of Cortland Police Department and strategy development for area businesses.

Between the lines: - The donation turned a student pitch event into a more tangible launchpad, which can accelerate confidence as much as cash. - Innovation Day appears to be shifting from a presentation exercise into a local pipeline for ideas that can reach competitions, community clients and summer launches. - Wilson described a familiar arc for student founders: they start unsure, then leave with something they can actually defend and build.

What’s next: - Next Life Junk Removal and Scrap Fit will continue in the New York Business Plan Competition at the state level. - Rockwood by Vinci plans to launch this summer. - SUNY Cortland’s new Entrepreneurship Center will support continued development for Shred Air. - Throwing Shade is looking toward national franchising. - The other funded teams are expected to use the money to move prototypes, business plans and market testing forward.

The bottom line: - Weitsman’s $45,000 gift gave six student startups more than prize money — it gave them outside validation, momentum and room to grow.