Commercialization Competition FAQ

The competition is intended for pre-revenue manufacturing and technology companies.

Yes, companies must be located in New York State. Please see guidelines for full details.

NAICS was designed and documented in such a way to allow business establishments to self-code. There are a number of tools and references available to help you to determine the most appropriate NAICS code for your business: You can use this Search Tool to find any NAICS code quickly and easily.

A DUNS number is a unique nine-digit identification number provided by Dun & Bradstreet (D&B). To obtain or update a DUNS#, contact D&B at 1-800-234-3867.

Alternatively, request a DUNS# online at https://www.dnb.com/duns-number/get-a-duns.html, or update it online at https://iupdate.dnb.com/iUpdate/viewiUpdateHome.htm

The application period opens on July 19, 2022 and closes August 17, 2022 at 4:00PM EST. If the application is submitted in the specified timeline, applicants will receive a confirmation email. There will be no exceptions for this deadline.

The Commercialization Competition will be held as part of New York State Innovation Summit, October 25 & 26, 2022, at the Buffalo-Niagara Convention Center in Buffalo, New York. Finalists (or a designated team member) will be expected to pitch in-person during the scheduled pitch sessions.

Companies must complete the online application at https://fuzehub.smapply.io/. Applicants will be required to create a SurveyMonkey Apply account in order to submit an application. (Re-applicants should login using previous credentials.) Applications that do not include all required items may be deemed incomplete and may be rejected without further review. Allow enough time to answer all of the application questions and to upload all required files before the deadline.

No, once an applicant has formally submitted an application and has received a confirmation email, no further changes can be made to the application. (It is possible to make changes to the application until the 4:00PM EST deadline on August 17, 2022 as long as the application has not been submitted.) Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications before the deadline to avoid potential time-related technical issues.

Frequently, emails generated automatically by SurveyMonkey Apply are flagged as spam by email platforms, and sent to the recipient’s junk folder. In order to avoid missing an important notification, applicants should add the following email addresses to their email provider’s “safe sender list”:

• [email protected]
• [email protected]

There is a detailed step-by-step guide to help applicants use the SurveyMonkey Apply application platform. Applicants may download this guide from within the platform, from the menu Pages, CC Resources, Application Step-by-Step Guide. If you have a technical question or problem, call 518-768-7030 extension 512 or email the Innovation Fund at [email protected] or Patty Rechberger, innovation fund manager at [email protected].

Applicants may include costs for expenses that define the design of the product, including its features and performance, customer discovery meetings, or prototyping expenses (supplies, materials, tool-time, engineering, etc.) in order to iterate on the Minimum Viable Product (MVP).

Applicants may not include costs for marketing. FuzeHub will not reimburse for efforts used to promote or sell the final product, after it is already designed, for the purpose of attaining sales. 

For example, purchasing a ticket to attend a conference to conduct customer discovery interviews is allowable; however, purchasing an exhibitor booth and associated collateral is not allowable.

The team members do not need to be employed by the applicant company. Include in your team all people who actively contribute to the project, whether paid or volunteered. Include consultants, educational institutions staff, mentors, entrepreneurs-in-chief, etc.

Furthermore, use the team section to brag about accomplishments. What has each member done that is impressive? If you do not feel like you have accomplished something impressive, how about something really difficult? Entrepreneurs must be resilient. Do not be afraid to show unconventional wisdom.

As a condition to receiving any award proceeds, competition winners will be required to enter into a Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE) agreement with FuzeHub. A template of the SAFE agreement is available here.

FuzeHub does not take equity right away, but we have the right to take equity under certain circumstances. These circumstances are outlined in the SAFE.

FuzeHub does not make any claim to IP ownership from applications to the Innovation Fund.  IP ownership is determined by the applicant team and/or applicant company and not something that FuzeHub has a preferred policy for. Applicants requiring non-disclosure agreements should not participate. 

Yes, additionally, companies that apply to participate in the Commercialization Competition continue to be eligible to apply for other FuzeHub funding. If a company receives multiple FuzeHub awards, FuzeHub will work with that company to ensure that the awards support separate scopes of work.