Victoria Palasieski,
Senior Consultant & Program Manager
Victoria’s role as program manager with IgniteU is to support and empower small businesses in New York State through our programming and support. At IgniteU we are working to create a network of industry professionals, mentors, subject matter experts, local organizations, government agencies, and other stakeholders to leverage their resources and expertise to benefit the entrepreneurs we work with.
Victoria has a background working with professional business organizations in New York State. Those organizations represented businesses throughout New York, all within a variety of industries, from auto recycling to senior adult day care, private practice dietitians to opticians, and more. Working closely with the organization members she helped them understand how to use their network of peers to grow their business, partner with different companies to increase their production, and planned networking events and educational opportunities to continue their growth in those industries. Victoria also provided technical assistance to individuals interested in starting businesses in eldercare and connected them with the resources they needed to start their business.
Victoria is thrilled to be part of New York State’s small business community, and is committed to contributing to its economic development. Together, we can make sure innovative ideas can flourish and create a lasting impact.
Fun Fact: Victoria responded to an open call for extras in 2014 and can be seen in the background of the movie “4th Man Out.”
Nick Vyas,
Senior Consultant
Alumni 2021 MWBE Accelerator (Cell Phone Repair Co.)
Nick has real experience in starting, running and growing a business as well as an MBA degree with a focus in innovation. His business Cell Mart Accessories Inc. has experienced great success and is able to operate independent of Nick. Now he enjoys talking and working with other entrepreneurs and discussing their hurdles and growth opportunities.
Nick has experience and knowledge in business acumen, technological literacy, financial management skills, customer relationship management (CRM), and has developed fruitful relationships through networking.
He hopes to help motivate entrepreneurs and founders to build and scale their businesses and hopes to be a resource they can call upon with trust to help them with their challenges.
Fun Fact: Nick loves to travel and is soon to be a new father!
Brodi DiBuono,
Consultant
Alumni Summer 2021 Accelerator (Champe Handcrafted Berkshire Bubbly)
Brodi is a licensed social worker turned House Flipper, and Entrepreneur. She has experience in branding, as well as expertise in social media marketing. Brodi enjoys working with other entrepreneurs to empower them to utilize the world of social media to create brand awareness and convert followers to customers!
Brodi has experience in sales, marketing, branding, manufacturing, and customer relationship management.
Fun Fact: Brodi’s dog, is the face of her brand Champe Handcrafted Berkshire Bubbly!
Kim Fredericks,
Senior Consultant
Kimberly A. Fredericks, Ph.D. is a senior consultant at NYSTEC and the program instructor for the 2023 BGA. She has worked in the entrepreneurial community for the last ten years. Her focus has been on start-up and small business acceleration and commercialization.
Her work has been focused on the interchange of student and community, with college students playing an active role in economic development through assisting local businesses to grow. As a frequent consultant, author, mentor, judge and leader in strengthening public and private partnerships to make both businesses and communities thrive. In addition, she is an advisor and strategic/tactical partner in numerous nonprofits, incubators, accelerators, university entrepreneur programs, internship programs and business plan competitions.
This work has included being involved with IgniteU for the past six years, involved in the New York State Business Plan Competition, StartUp Weekend, Restart Workshops, and other small business ventures.
Phil Lavanco,
Senior Consultant
Phil is a 20-year broadcast professional who will serve as production coordinator with IgniteU. With stops at ESPN, ABC News, NBC, etc Phil has worked in the most prestigious organizations in broadcasting. In 2022 he won an Emmy Award for his work with NBC Sports Washington. He joined the IgniteU team in 2021 leading the coverage of the showcase events, helping the IgniteU team launch a live stream for every showcase event starting in the summer of 2021.
While Phil has never launched a business, he is an expert in media, broadcasting, and public speaking. He can help an entrepreneur learn the craft of presentation and public speaking. Phil has a long track record in the broadcast industry and has be involved in many high-profile productions.
He resides in Utica, NY with his more successful wife and daughter. He one day hopes to be in the White Castle Hall of Fame.
Shae Brown,
Consultant
Shae Brown is an experienced broadcasting engineer and event coordinator. They have a strong background in creating hybrid or fully virtual environments for events that historically were completely in-person. As a consultant for NYSTEC representing IgniteU NY, Shae can wear many hats. Operating as technical support, production coordinator, virtual platform UX lead, and even showing up in the occasional panel discussion as a moderator.
Fun Fact: Shae has built multiple computers and is an avid gamer. They also enjoy the great outdoors as a mountain biker (and other activities kayaking, etc.) and are currently training their puppy to eventually be the best mountain biking trail pal.
CeCe Whalen,
Intern
NYSTEC 2023-2024 Intern
Penn State University, Corporate Innovation & Entrepreneurship Major
CeCe Whalen is a rising senior at Penn State University, majoring in Corporate Innovation & Entrepreneurship, with a double minor in Management and Sustainably. With a passion for business strategy and a focus on sustainable practice, CeCe is dedicated to making a positive impact in the world of consulting.
She actively participates in various extracurricular activities, including her involvement and love for THON, the largest student run philanthropy that raises funds and awareness for children with pediatric cancer. She is also a member of Pi Beta Phi, a fraternity for women, where she has further honored her organizational and interpersonal abilities.
CeCe has immersed herself in the world of entrepreneurship with participation in startup competitions, leveraging her creativity to develop innovative solutions for real world problems. She has been engaged in a consulting project with Moka Origins, a social enterprise focused on sustainable and ethical sourcing of coffee and chocolate. Through this experience, CeCe has gained practical insights into the consulting industry while contributing to the growth and success of this organization.
Through her internship at NYSTEC she has had amazing opportunities working with the IgniteU Team, as well as the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Team. She has been able to dive deep into the world of consulting with hands-on experiences.
Fun Fact: She has two different colored eyelashes! (one blonde, one brown!).