SolarScope Triumphs at NYS Business Plan Finals Despite Technical Glitch

ROCHESTER, NY — In a display of entrepreneurial grit that left judges and competitors inspired, TriTech-Labs Inc. secured the Concept Stage Award (Safety, Power, and Mobility) at the New York Business Plan Competition (NYBPC) state finals this week. The Buffalo-based startup, led by University at Buffalo Honors Scholar DJ Ruszkowski and Co-Founder Max Clarke, emerged as a top-tier contender, officially ranking in the Top 20 student startups in New York State. Performance Under Pressure The victory was anything but easy. Just minutes before taking the stage at the Golisano Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship, a technical failure compromised the team’s presentation, breaking slide designs and disabling critical video embeds. Faced with a choice between panic or persistence, the TriTech-Labs team chose the latter. Pitching the vision for SolarScope—an advanced lead intelligence and sales scoring platform—without visual aids, Ruszkowski and Clarke proved that the strength of their logic was more powerful than any PowerPoint. "This win was a true test of grit," said DJ Ruszkowski, CEO. "If we can place at the state level with a broken deck, we are going to be unstoppable. When the visuals failed, the data spoke for itself." A "Top 20" Vision in New York Competing in a field that included elite research teams from Cornell and Columbia, SolarScope’s recognition in the Top 20 validates its mission to solve the solar industry's "soft cost" crisis. By utilizing their proprietary Grading Assistant, SolarScope helps installers move from manual lead generation to high-precision sales scoring, drastically reducing customer acquisition costs. The judges recognized the platform's potential to stabilize and scale the renewable energy market, awarding it top honors in the Safety, Power, and Mobility track. Buffalo-Built, State-Validated The win marks a massive momentum shift for TriTech-Labs as they return to Western New York. The team credit much of their success to the support of the UBuffalo CoLab Powered by Blackstone LaunchPad and their mentors, who helped refine the "Lean Startup" methodology that carried them to the finals. May 20th Beta Launch The NYBPC victory serves as the perfect springboard for the SolarScope Beta Launch, scheduled for May 20, 2026. In celebration of the state-level win, TriTech-Labs has announced a "Founder’s Price Lock." The first cohort of users to sign up during the beta launch month will secure a rate of $49 per month, guaranteed for one full year. Solar professionals are encouraged to visit solarscope.net to "Save Their Spot" before the first month's capacity is reached.