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NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release
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Contact: Ray Gillen, Metroplex
(518) 461-7137 (cell)
Rick D’Errico, New York BizLab
(518) 857-3053 (cell)
Dumbstruck Approved for Start-Up New York Program
Company Will Partner with SCCC and New York BizLab in Schenectady
Schenectady, N.Y., August 10, 2016 – Schenectady County officials today joined with SCCC, Metroplex and the New York BizLab to announce that Dumbstruck, Inc. has been approved by the START-UP NY program and will lease space at the New York BizLab at 251 State Street in downtown Schenectady.
Anthony Jasenski, Chairman of the Schenectady County Legislature said, “We are very pleased to see more tech companies set up shop in Schenectady County. We thank Governor Cuomo, Empire State Development, SCCC, Metroplex and the New York BizLab for their efforts to bring this new company to downtown Schenectady.”
Denise Zieske, Vice President for Workforce Development and Community Education at SCCC said, “Dumbstruck is a great addition to our group of START-UP NY companies. SCCC looks forward to partnering with Dumbstruck and we thank Governor Cuomo, Empire State Development and SUNY for connecting colleges and businesses thus broadening access for our students to industry connections in their field of study.”
Dumbstruck CEO Peter Allegretti said, “We’re excited to be moving to downtown Schenectady. Dumbstruck had opportunities to relocate to other large start-up hubs in places such as Los Angeles, New York City and Austin, Texas, but we felt being part of START-UP NY at the New York BizLab provided us the best opportunity to grow our company to the next level.”
New York BizLab Founder and President Antonio Civitella said, “Dumbstruck is a smart, fast-moving tech company that is gaining national attention already. This is the type of company I had in mind when creating the BizLab, companies with sophisticated techies who could locate anywhere if there weren’t opportunities for them here. We are excited to have Peter and his team anchor the third floor of the BizLab.”
The company was founded in 2013. It has developed a research and audience engagement platform that records reactions to digital content and provides content creators with real-time emotional analytics. The company’s customers range from consumers capturing family member reactions to milestone events to companies such as iHeartMedia, Lionsgate, NBC and others who use the platform to measure audience reaction to promotional content.
Dumbstruck recently received a national award at Digiday’s annual content marketing awards for Best Content Marketing Tech Platform. In addition to increasing audience engagement and capturing user-generated video content at scale, the company was honored for its ability to identify actionable demographic and emotional insights which enable clients to adjust campaigns on the fly while simultaneously honing content and messaging for future campaigns.
The company joins other START-UP NY companies including Furlocity, Lottery Rewards, SureDone and Fundabilities at the New York BizLab in downtown Schenectady.
Dumbstruck will lease 3,700 square feet at the BizLab and expects to create 20 jobs within five years.
Ray Gillen, Metroplex Chair said, “Vibrant downtowns feature tech companies like Dumbstruck. We welcome them to the fast growing arts, entertainment and technology district in downtown Schenectady and we thank Governor Cuomo and Empire State Development for their leadership in helping us to bring more companies and jobs to our community.”
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About Dumbstruck
Dumbstruck enables content creators to increase audience engagement while simultaneously learning how audiences truly feel about their content. The company’s suite of products help content creators boost audience engagement, capture user-generated videos at scale, and gain actionable audience insights. To learn more about Dumbstruck, please contact sales@dumbstruck.me and visit http://www.dumbstruck.me.
About New York BizLab
The New York BizLab, www.nybizlab.net, is a business accelerator located in Schenectady, New York. It is focused on helping tech companies grow smart and grow fast. The BizLab has state-of-the-art space, 1Gig Internet access and more than ten in-house advisors making up the BizHub. The BizLab, which is a Start-Up NY-approved site, was founded by Antonio Civitella, the President and CEO of Transfinder, a logistics software company that has been featured on Inc. magazine’s fastest-growing companies’ list for the past nine years.
About START-UP NY
START-UP NY provides businesses that create net new jobs in New York State with the opportunity to operate 100 percent tax-free for 10 years, paying no state income tax, business or corporate state or local taxes, sales tax, property tax or franchise fees. The companies also partner with the higher education institutions they are sponsored by, and have the ability to access industry experts and advanced research laboratories associated with the schools.
To date, 78 colleges and universities are participating in START-UP NY, establishing 570 Tax-Free Areas that represent over 5.5 million square-feet of tax-free space for new or expanding businesses to operate on or near campuses. Each college and university’s approved START-UP NY plan is available at www.startup.ny.gov.