Richard Lin’s Post

Last night was one of my favorite nights of the year. The entrepreneurship and investment community came together at the Upstate Capital Association of New York Annual Awards in Rochester to celebrate the amazing work being done in Upstate New York. Among the awards was a very well deserved Lifetime Achievement Award, presented to Joe Richardson for his lifetime of service. He has worked tirelessly to grow the entrepreneurship and investment ecosystem in the Capital Region and beyond, blazing the trail for people like me and others to follow. He's one of the most kind, giving, and genuine people I know and I've had the immense privilege of getting to know him over the past several years. Congratulations, Joe! We also celebrated Noa Conger Simons's eight years of dedicated service, leadership of Upstate Capital, and her efforts in growing the investment and entrepreneurship ecosystem across the state. It's been an absolute pleasure working with Noa this past year to support Upstate Capital's events and I'll definitely miss working directly with her. Noa, best of luck as you take the leap and build your startup, GoodBread. We're all cheering you on and can't wait for you to change the world (again). Thank you to the event team, MCs, and collaborators for hosting such a great celebration! Bailey Burke, David Brown, Dominic Mammarella, Ryan Morash, JCW Creative, John Christian Williams, Sydney Sobotik, Jerry Smith, Holly Barrett, Jill Rehak Kemp, Sidney Leon, and Sam Costich.