Launched in 2015, UpPrize aims to “further the cause of social and inclusive entrepreneurship,” said Ven Raju, president and CEO of Innovation Works, a North Side nonprofit that provides seed funding and support to startups and which administered the challenge.īNY Mellon Foundation of Southwestern Pennsylvania funds UpPrize and - since the competition’s founding - has invested $2.8 million in prize money and technical assistance to the competitors, said Michael Keslar, president of BNY Mellon Pennsylvania. Jyamfi, who envisions his company’s generator someday providing smokeless, odor-free and affordable electrical power in underserved places such as India and Africa, was one of nine entrepreneurs who competed in UpPrize’s final pitch event at PointView Hall in the Carnegie Science Center on Oct. Photo courtesy of Elisa Cevallos, Warhol Academy.įarm to Flame Energy received a total of $150,000 from UpPrize: $75,000 as the top entrant in the sustainability category and a $75,000 grand prize as the top overall winner. Jyamfi holds the Farm to Flame check for $150,000 from the BNY Mellon Social Innovation Challenge.
