BROOME COUNTY, NY – (WIVT/WBGH) Two green technology startups in Greater Binghamton are receiving recognition for their innovations.

The New York Small Business Development Center held a ceremony today at the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator in downtown Binghamton.
It recognized Imperium 3 New York as its Tech/Innovation Business of the Year.
iM3NY is currently in pre-production mode on the Phoenix Campus in Endicott with 80 employees producing 300 to 500 lithium-ion battery cells per day.
The company has been getting its compliance certifications and financing in place as it looks to move from producing 1 to 38 gigawatt hours worth of battery storage per year.
iM3NY Chairman Shailesh Upreti says Binghamton University’s SBDC was instrumental in helping his gigafactory get started.

iM3NY Chairman Shailesh Upreti says, “Along the way, a lot of hand-holding, a lot of business discussions that lead to things that have helped us grow as a company.”

iM3NY CEO Chaitanya Sharma says, “The end result is also within our reach and we’ll be there pretty soon. The journey is very satisfying and I think the economic impact, as I think this agency has allowed us to make, is pretty evident for people to see.”

The statewide SBDC gave its Millennial Entrepreneur award to Jacob Kumpon, Chief Operating Officer for KLAW Industries.
KLAW produces a cement substitute for concrete called Pantheon which is made from recycled glass.
It started in 2019 when Kumpon and his cousin were still in college.
Kumpon says the Small Business Development Center has been with them since day one, helping them to develop their financials and secure their first grants.
KLAW would go on to become tenants of the Koffman where it could access assistance from a variety of economic development agencies including the SBDC.

KLAW COO Jacob Kumpon says, “I can’t stress enough how critical that is to have all of these resources available under one roof. When we were starting KLAW Industries, the ability for us to not only work here, but receive support from a variety of different local resources was incredibly valuable. Since it allowed us to basically, as we ran into problems, we could find solutions for them all in one spot.”

KLAW is finishing work to refine and scale up their patented process for cleaning the recycled glass.
It currently has a prototype facility on Binghamton’s Eastside but is looking for a larger building to expand into.
Today’s announcement brought out some political heavyweights, including Congressman Marc Molinaro and SUNY Chancellor John King, who joined via Zoom.