2026 Binghamton Business Plan Competition Workshop Series

Pitching Your Business,
join us as these three past winners talk about what it takes to win:

Jacob Kumpon, KLAW Industries
Laura Whitmore, Strategic Test Prep
Ayissi Nyemba, Emkao Foods
We will gain a foundation in Elevator Speech to Full Presentation; Power Point; Social Media; How to Win the Business Plan Competition and Persuade Investors

Jacob Kumpon was the winner of the 2021 BLDC Business Plan Competition and is co-founder and COO of KLAW Industries, which turns landfilled glass into a cement replacement for concrete called Pantheon™. Founded in 2019, KLAW Industries won the 2021 Binghamton Business Plan Competition and purchased a production facility on Binghamton’s East Side. Jacob has used business plan competitions and grants to raise over $1.6 million in non-dilutive funding includ-ing grants with the EPA, Department of Energy, and New York State. He grew up in Chenango Forks, is a SUNY Broome Alumni, and holds a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Binghamton University.

Laura Whitmore, winner of the 2022 BLDC Business Plan Competition, is the founder and CEO of Strategic Test Prep, a remote education company focused on SAT preparation. In just three years, Laura scaled Strategic Test Prep from a small tutoring operation into a seven-figure business generating over $1.5 million in revenue without outside funding. She did this by systemizing her services, expanding nationally through remote delivery, and developing multiple revenue streams across tutoring, classes, and digital products. She now focuses on scaling operations, building teams, and helping other entrepreneurs think strategically about turning expertise into a sustainable business.

Ayissi Nyemba, winner of the 2025 BLDC Business Plan Competition owns and operates Emkao Foods, a chocolatier located in Vancouver, Canada that is opening a US operation on Binghamton’s East Side. Ms. Nyemba was an entrant in the 2024, 2025 Grow-NY® Food & Agriculture Startup Competition and learned about the Koffman Incubator’s Soft Landing New York program, which encourages foreign entrepreneurs to grow businesses in the Central Southern Tier. Emkao is an importer, manufacturer, and supplier of premium cocoa ingredients that specializes in high-quality, organic cocoa products sourced directly from smallholder farmers in Cameroon. Emkao’s cocoa is a unique blend of 60% Criollo and 40% Trinitario beans that ensures superior taste and quality that appeals to institutional food service clients and consumers alike.

View more information on the Business Plan Competition.

2026 Binghamton Business Plan Competition Workshop Series (pdf)

Submitted by: Workforce and Community Partnerships