Stony Brook University’s Office for Research and Innovation (OR&I) recently hosted its first Wolf Den event, aimed at fostering collaboration among investors, researchers, startup founders, and business leaders in the Long Island region. The event took place on November 13 at the Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology (CEWIT), with plans to hold a similar gathering in early 2026.
The initiative was organized by OR&I in partnership with Accelerate Long Island. According to Michael Kinch, Stony Brook University’s Chief Innovation Officer, “We designed the Wolf Den as an opportunity to observe, listen and learn what the Long Island innovation community needs to thrive. Events like this show us where collaboration is strongest and where we can remove friction for founders. Such insights will shape how we continue to cultivate a vibrant, resilient innovation ecosystem.”
Participants were introduced to Stony Brook’s entrepreneurship ecosystem through startup pitches and networking sessions with innovators and investors. Jim Acquaviva, strategic innovation director in OR&I, said: “Our mission is to help companies start, scale, become pitch-ready and investable through mentorship and support programs. By connecting academia and industry, we facilitate knowledge-sharing, spark new ideas and catalyze collaborations that will help elevate our startups to new heights. Establishing connections between the many resources across Stony Brook University and Long Island will accelerate the commercialization of technology in multiple markets.”
Richard Chan from the College of Business moderated a panel discussion during the event. He reflected on changes at Stony Brook over his tenure: “I’ve spent 20 years studying how entrepreneurs create, acquire, manage and transfer financial resilience. When I first came to Stony Brook 12 years ago, I was the only faculty member who did entrepreneurship research. Fast-forward 12 years and it’s wonderful that we now have a dedicated Office for Research and Innovation that has hired some wonderful and talented people to help spearhead innovation and entrepreneurship.” Chan also highlighted courses offered by Stony Brook on entrepreneurship as well as opportunities for students to work directly with entrepreneurs.
Chan addressed artificial intelligence’s growing role in startups: “I’ve seen first-hand how AI will impact our communities... Many of our students have not only utilized large language models to build up innovative solutions; several of them have used this opportunity to create startups themselves. And that brings us to today’s key question we want to address: how will AI tools be incorporated as a core fundamental component of the next generation, and how will founders build competitive advantage when everyone has access to the same powerful AI tools?”
Panelists included Bryan Huang (founder of LANDED), Ryan Hu (founder of Qlo), Jac Hsieh (CEO/co-founder of NunoX), and Mouli Narayanan (founder/CEO of ZeBlok Computational). They discussed topics such as using AI for rapid prototyping via code generation from natural language prompts—an approach referred to as vibe coding.
Hsieh noted: “AI is good for ideations and also good for quickly building a prototype to validate the market... So for me this is a quick solution to find out whether the market exists.” Hu added that understanding core problems remains essential even when leveraging AI tools: “Using AI for live coding can only lower the barrier... but the real quality is in how you understand the problem.”
Narayanan commented on broader trends: “There are about 65,000 AI startups today... But in the end I think it comes down to fundamentals of how to create a business...” Panelists also discussed challenges faced by startups seeking investment or articulating technical solutions.
Huang observed: “I think for a lot of startups... it goes back to solving people’s problems. That’s why startups exist.” Narayanan emphasized persistence: “The traditional challenges for starting a company remain... Those traditional parts of a startup all still apply.” Hsieh described AI as another tool available alongside others like internet technologies.
Acquaviva concluded by stressing community-building benefits from events like Wolf Den: “The connections we make tonight will undoubtedly strengthen our community... The Wolf Den is a golden opportunity for us…to share experiences and learn from one another as we navigate the path to success.”