Featured Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneur, inventor and investor, who’s best known for co-founding MapInfo Corporation, which popularized street maps on computers, and for coining the term "Cloud Computing".
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This year, Rensselaer’s Entrepreneurs of the Year are Vikash Agrawal ’98 and Vikram Agrawal ’02, who both earned master’s degrees at Rensselaer. The Agrawal brothers have founded two successful companies, Levrx Technology and Etransmedia, and they also invest in companies experiencing rapid growth through a venture fund.
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As Chief AI Officer at Humach (following the acquisition of my firm Markets EQ in April 2025), I'm on a mission to decode what really matters in human communication. We're not just analyzing conversations—we're revealing the unspoken through bio-signals and neuroscience, turning tone of voice into actionable intelligence.
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The CEO and Cofounder of independent gaming studio, Velan Studios, in Troy, NY and a partner with Velan Ventures, an innovation investment firm.
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Co-founder and CEO of Ecovative, the leading mycelium technology company making sustainable materials with the 'root structures' of mushrooms for fashion and apparel, food, packaging, and more.
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I’m an entrepreneurial CEO and co-founder with over 13 years of experience leading Vyv — a health-tech and clean-tech company transforming how light is used to keep environments continuously cleaner and more protected.
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Meghan Lenihan Moulder ’10 graduated with a B.S. in Aeronautical-Mechanical Engineering and joined GE Aviation as a design engineer on the Edison Engineering Development Program. After graduating the Edison Program and receiving an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Northeastern University, Meghan continued working at GE Aviation as a design engineer until 2016 when she joined GE’s Accelerated Leadership Program. Meghan Lenihan-Moulder
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Co-Founder & CEO of Spark, the world's first Driver Development Platform, providing everything you need to pursue your passion for motorsports with just one monthly membership.
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Co-founder and CEO of Ecovative, the leading mycelium technology company making sustainable materials with the 'root structures' of mushrooms for fashion and apparel, food, packaging, and more.
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The co-founder and CEO of Quest Global, a global engineering services firm providing innovative end-to-end solutions across several industry verticals.
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Founder and CEO of 1st Playable Productions, Tobi Saulnier leads our studio in the creation of unique, ground breaking, and awesome games.
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Robert Joseph Scaringe is an engineer and businessman who is the founder and chief executive officer of electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian.
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Daniel Shugar founded Nextpower and has served as its Chief Executive Officer since July 2013. Mr. Shugar began his career in the solar industry in 1988 and has held senior leadership positions in multiple solar companies.
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Carly Strife ’08 is the co-founder of BARK and General Partner of Ambush Capital. At BARK, Carly has managed and scaled the complex business operations behind each of BARK’s businesses starting with BarkBox in 2012, and now spanning several distribution channels and product lines.
Learn MoreEntrepreneur of the Year
Established in 1990, this award salutes successful entrepreneurs who, in turn, are important role models for the students of Rensselaer. Those honored with the award bring the world of entrepreneurship into the classrooms and laboratories at Rensselaer, sharing their experience and wisdom with all students. Given the importance of the entrepreneurial spirit in the past, present, and future of Rensselaer, it is indeed a singular honor that the Institute bestows in selecting the Entrepreneur of the Year.
The award is named for William F. (“Bill”) Glaser ’53, founder and President (retired) of Com Mar, Inc., a wholesaler of communication, navigation, and marine accessory products. Bill was active in Navy ROTC and the IFC, and is a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. Bill created the Entrepreneur of the Year concept with Lally School Associate Dean Mark Rice ’71 in 1989, and the Award was launched in 1990.
To nominate a candidate, please email severinocenter@rpi.edu.
Criteria for award nominees
- Must be a Rensselaer graduate who has achieved great success in his/her industry.
- For the purposes of this award, success means having built an enterprise or series of enterprises that have brought value to the marketplace, through either technical or social change.
| Vikash Agrawal ’98 and Vikram Agrawal ’02 | Founders of Levrx Technology and Etransmedia | 2023 |
| Mark Bernstein ’94, Degerhan Usuel ’94, Mark Wilson Ph.D. Watch the video | Founders of Interactive Learning International Corp. (ILINC) | 2019 |
| Tobi Saulnier ’84, ’89, ’94 Watch the video | Founder and CEO, 1st Playable Productions | 2018 |
| Jayant Kadambi ’85, ’86 Watch the video | Founder, YuMe | 2017 |
| Robert L. Godgart ’82 Watch the video | Serial Entrepreneur, Founder of Autotask | 2016 |
| Paul Bleicher ’76 Watch the video | CEO, OptumLabs | 2015 |
| John Delbridge ’91 Jeffrey Stewart ’91 David Uyttendaele ’91 Watch the video | Founding Members of Mimeo.com | 2014 |
| Karthik Bala ’97 and Guha Bala Watch the video | Founders, Vicarious Visions | 2013 |
| Harry Ruda ’68, ’69G Watch the video | CEO, Wing Power Energy | 2012 |
| Sean O’Sullivan ’85 Watch the video | Co-founder and Managing Director, Avego Ltd Founder and Managing Director, SOS Ventures | 2011 |
| Jacqueline Novogratz Watch the video Watch the interview | Founder and CEO, Acumen Fund | 2010 |
| A.P. Parigi Watch the video | Managing Director, Entertainment Network (India) Limited (ENIL) Managing Director and CEO, Times Infotainment Media Limited | 2009 |
| William G. Pomeroy ’66 | Founder and CEO, CXtec | 2008 |
| Brendan L. McKernan ’00 | Co-founder and VP of Operations, Agencourt Biosciences Corp. | 2006 |
| Frederick W. Smith | Chairman, President and CEO, FedEx Corp. | 2004 |
| James Q. Crowe ’72 | CEO, Level 3 Communications | 2003 |
| John J. McDonnell Jr. ’61 | Founder, Chairman and CEO, Transaction Network Services Inc. | 2002 |
| Mukesh Chatter ’82 | Founder, President and CEO, Axiowave | 2001 |
| Curtis Priem ’82 | Co-founder and CTO, NVIDIA Corp. | 2000 |
| Nancy S. Mueller | Founder and President, Nancy's Specialty Foods | 1999 |
| Arthur L. Goldstein ’57 | Chairman, President and CEO, Ionics Inc. | 1997 |
| John H. Broadbent Jr. ’59 | Co-founder, CFO, VP Finance and Treasurer, Arrow International Inc. | 1995 |
| Paul J. Severino ’69 | Founder and Chairman, Bay Networks | 1994 |
| Warren Bruggeman ’46 | VP and General Manager, General Electric's Nuclear Business Operations | 1993 |
| Salvator Alfiero ’64 | Founder, Chairman and CEO, Protective Industries LLC | 1992 |
| Thomas LeFevre ’71 | Co-founder, Intuit | 1991 |
| William Mow ’59 | Founder, Bugle Boy Industries | 1990 |
Student & Faculty Achievements
Recognition for students, staff, and faculty.
Three apex innovation awards were established in 2025 for RPI students, faculty, and staff. Supported by the Ajit Prabhu ’98 Catalyst Fund, these awards recognize the most promising campus-based innovations. The Apex Awards include: MVP Tough Tech Prize ($15,000), the Faculty Translation Grant ($30,000), and the Catalyst Pre-Seed Award ($30,000).
2025 Fall Award Winners:
MVP Prize: StarStack, Inc.: Sam Kudarauskas & Liam Gavin
Pre-Seed Award: Talinted, Inc.: William Lawler
Translation Grant: OntoAgentic AI: Sergei Nirenburg & Marjorie McShane
Supported by the Ajit Prabhu ’98 Catalyst Fund, Catalyst Launch Prizes are awarded twice annually to the most promising ventures that complete the Catalyst Incubator Program or the Ignite Activator Program. Funds are used to support early-stage activities of RPI startups.
2025 Fall Winners:
- Candidex.Ai: Martin Neupauer & Daniel Obolensky
- G.O.F.T: John Shaughnessy
- Patient Passport: Emma Edgar
- TackLabs: Riley Studebaker
2025 Spring Winners:
- Polymathic Innovations: Jeff Osborne, Aleks Maric
- DropliQ: Chris Puleo, Ilana McCarthy, Nick Fadden
- Chonovance: Hana Zeghal
- 3Dudes: Sam Kudarauskas, Liam Gavin
The Ignite Activator program was established in 2026 to focus on the second great “product” that every new start-up must create: the corporation itself. The 11 week bootcamp-style extra-curricular program covers building a team, raising capital, managing cashflow, scaling up for manufacturing, customer acquisition, legal transactions, and building an IP portfolio.
2026 Spring Distinguished Innovation Fellows:
Ammar Barbee
Hannah Doss
Emma Edgar
Ryan Gibeau
Sam Kudarauskas
Osama Raisuddin
John Shaughnessy
Fabian Faulstich
Jacob Shelley
Carlos Herrera
The Catalyst Incubator program was established in 2025 to support pre-venture and early-stage innovations. The 10 week bootcamp-style extra-curricular program covers design thinking, due diligence, benchmarking, product differentiation, value proposition, customer discovery, product-market fit, business plans, intellectual property, and pitching.
2026 Spring RPI Innovation Fellows:
Liam Bereseford
Garret Gagnon
Grace Killeen
Andrew Agulles
Rita Lei
George Makhatadze
Sam Avagyan
Juan Duchi
Ismail Erbas
Sidney Preuss
Jon McKinney
2025 Fall RPI Innovation Fellows:
Michael Goldshteyn
Andrew Babson
Clare Heinold
Ethan Kusse
Gavin Finn
Kaylee Daley
Kaden Tennent
Hanna Doss
Nimar Cisneros
Emma Edgar
Paddy Connelly
Robert Santos
Melissa Morales
Raven Levitt
James Liu
John Shaugnessey
Greg Garabet
Peter De Schmidt
2025 Summer RPI Innovation Fellows:
Alexandre Pennell
Riley Studebaker
Leo Wan
Frank Peters
Mehtap Agirsoy
Vedran Beganovic
Alex Bringsjord
Rebecca Miceli
Dhruvik Patel
Luke Garcia
Justin Kang
Tiburon Benavides
Theresa Ramelot
Ben Shurina
2025 Spring RPI Innovation Fellows:
Sam Kudarauskas
Liam Gavin
Jacob Shelley
Julia Danischewski
Carlos Herrera
Sinanzwayinkosi Ndhlovu
Abhiyan Paudel
Jeff Osborne
Aleks Maric
William Lawler
Collin Kolbe
Hana Zeghal
Ammar Barbee
Noah Giesbrecht
Dovar Tinling
Chris Puleo
Ilana McCarthy
Nick Fadden
Sean Trimper
Zach LaFrance
Ellie Kaiser
Brandon Villanueva
RPI Entrepreneurship & Innovation: What a history!
As one of the oldest technical degree granting universities in the United States, RPI has a long history of fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. From chemistry and civil engineering in the 19th Century, to gaming and nanomaterials in the 21st Century, RPI students, faculty, and alumni have been pioneers in developing technologies that have benefitted society. Many interesting patents have been awarded to RPI students and faculty.
Innovation pervades RPI’s culture dating back to its co-founder, Amos Eaton, whose philosophy for education was “the application of science to the common purposes of life.” For 200 years, RPI students, faculty, and alumni have had some remarkable Rensselaer Firsts.
To promote innovation on campus, RPI established the first university-based Incubator program in the United States in 1979. In 1983, the Rensselaer Technology Park Campus was opened, and since its inception, technology-based companies have flourished as tenants.
Invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship are part of RPI’s history and culture. Among national universities, RPI ranks third in percentage of our alumni who have become inventors. Since 1990, some of RPI’s most successful entrepreneurs – those who have affected either technical or social change – have been recognized through the annual Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Come join the ranks of RPI innovators!
Questions on entrepreneurship, inventions, or the Entrepreneur of the Year Award? Contact the Severino Center Staff or request a meeting with RPI’s AdVenture Team.