Join NYSERDA staff, innovators, researchers, financers, demonstration site hosts, and other partners in New York’s energy innovation ecosystem for a facilitated discussion of the challenges and opportunities involved in bringing a technology to its first real-world commercial demonstration. In this workshop, we’ll discuss what it really means to be ready for a First of a Kind (FOAK) demonstration, the requirements of key partners and gatekeepers, and where innovative technologies often fall short in reaching this critical stage. Participants will exit the session with a deeper understanding of what it takes and whom to partner with to have a successful FOAK that leads to additional deployments, as well as NYSERDA funding programs and other opportunities advancing technologies to commercial deployment in New York State.