Two New Companies Join UB Technology Incubator in 2011

Software firm Programmable Equipment Company and consulting and product-development firm TPF Enterprises become incubator's newest tenants

Release Date: December 22, 2011 This content is archived.

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Jonathan Moscato, UB alumnus and founder of Programmable Equipment Company

Alan Rae, managing member of TPF Enterprises

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo Technology Incubator welcomed two new high-tech companies in 2011: TPF Enterprises, a consulting and product development firm that specializes in fields including clean tech and new materials, and Programmable Equipment Company (PEC), a firm that develops software that helps verify that defense or industrial equipment is operating or calibrated correctly.

The addition of TPF Enterprises and PEC furthers the incubator's mission of bolstering Western New York's high-tech economy by providing emerging businesses with affordable technical, business and financial support.

The incubator, run by UB's Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach, includes office and wet lab space in a research and business facility in Amherst.

Tenants are eligible for services including seminars on entrepreneurship; coaching and mentoring from professionals with experience in helping companies grow; and guidance in applying for grants and seeking angel investment or venture capital.

The incubator's two newest firms, TPF Enterprises and PEC, each provide clients across the country with a unique set of innovation-based services:

TPF Enterprises: Launched by Alan Rae, an entrepreneur with 25 years of start-up experience, TPF Enterprises provides consulting and product development services to firms in such areas as alternative energy, clean tech, electronics, ceramics and nanotechnology.

The company's name refers to three key areas of concern for high-tech businesses: technology, profitability and feasibility. The firm assists both emerging and established companies in developing their products and evaluating their technology and market potential.

Clients have included a smart phone materials manufacturer, a solar cell manufacturer, the U.S. Air Force and more.

The firm's location in the UB Technology Incubator has helped to facilitate partnerships with the university and other local companies. TPF Enterprises is conducting business with a fellow incubator firm, and has also provided coaching to UB inventors looking to commercialize innovations in fields including chemistry and engineering.

Programmable Equipment Company (PEC): Founded by UB mechanical engineering alumnus Jonathan Moscato, PEC provides a new type of software for controlling automated test equipment, which is used to verify whether defense or industrial products are operating or calibrated correctly.

The company's software product has helped to keep military personnel safe by automatically gauging the performance of their life support systems. A current project involves creating a software application that checks vital U.S. military equipment.

PEC's software product, the Hiatronic Development Suite, is unique because it employs a content management system that allows control engineers to easily and quickly create applications for testing different products. The ease of learning and using the system cuts the amount of time it takes to create new test applications, and reduces costs by eliminating the need for expensive training.

At the UB Technology Incubator, Moscato, who previously was a control engineer for an aerospace and defense firm that now partners with PEC, has taken advantage of such services including mentoring on entrepreneurship. The incubator's extensive network of professionals helped him find a language translator for one project, and he has attended monthly seminars featuring experts on topics such as raising capital and protecting intellectual property.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.

Related Links:

About the UB Technology Incubator: http://www.research.buffalo.edu/stor/incubator

About TPF Enterprises: http://www.tpfenterprises.us/index.html

About Programmable Equipment Company: http://programmableequipment.com/

Media Contact Information

Charlotte Hsu is a former staff writer in University Communications. To contact UB's media relations staff, email ub-news@buffalo.edu or visit our list of current university media contacts.