Current Participants

2012 Winners

The 2012 competition was held on February 24 at Clarkson, five semi-finalists competed for their spot in one of our programs and two were selected as the winners.  

Hanna Hladkikh, Young Entrepreneur
Hanna Hladkikh, a Clarkson junior innovation and entrepreneurship major from Adams Center, N.Y., was named the winner of the Young Entrepreneurs Award.  Hladkikh won the Award for her business idea Feels Like Home Inc., a Web-based company that will provide the international community living in the U.S. access to their favorite international products while living in small communities like Potsdam.

“Today, many students come to the U.S. to study for a few years, or even a semester, and many of them would like to expand their shopping choices in rural areas, which often have only a small international presence,” says Hladkikh. “Feels Like Home will supply the value and comfort that will enable them to have products they appreciate and value while they are away from home.”

“Hanna Hladkikh is perfect for the Young Entrepreneurs program,” says Marc Compeau, director of the Reh Center for Entrepreneurship. “Hanna’s energy and passion for her venture will keep us busy, which is exactly what we are looking for. Her international perspective will add to the experience for everyone involved as well.”

Feels Like Home will begin selling online through http://www.feelslikehome.biz 

Paul B. Hyman, Young Innovator
Paul D. Schreiber Senior High School student Paul B. Hyman of Port Washington, N.Y., was named the winner of the Young Innovators Award. Hyman won for Prometheus Safety Solutions, a company that designs innovative and creative technologies for emergency responders and improves home appliance safety. He began at Clarkson as a freshman in August 2012 and is studying Engineering and Management.

“Prometheus Safety Solutions is dedicated to the utilization of innovative and creative technologies at not only the lowest possible cost, but also the highest quality to ensure the safety of emergency responders and the victims of any incident, as well as to guarantee the efficiency in action during any aided scenario,” says Hyman.

Hyman currently has two products and several sub-products designed, including a fully integrated thermal enhanced-infrared (FITE-IR) self-contained breathing apparatus and dryer fire prevention system.

“Paul Hyman represents the definition of a Young Innovator at Clarkson and we are excited to name him as the first recipient of this award,” says Matt Draper, deputy director of the Shipley Center for Innovation. “Innovation is about identifying a problem, creating the solution, and implementing that solution in the market. Paul identified a problem near and dear to his heart and invented a complete solution that we look forward to helping him commercialize.”