Think Variant: Press Coverage

  • Photo of Scott Antonacci receiving the Entrepreneurship Award, surrounded by the Think Variant team: Stephanie Budmen, Isaac Budmen, Matthew Antonacci, and Michael Antonacci

    Smart Financing Solutions Aid Small Businesses in Oswego County

    Oswego County Business Magazine, October / November 2025

    Think Variant is an example of a small business that utilized one of the loan programs offered by Operation Oswego County and its partners.

  • Scott Antonacci of Think Variant receives the 2025 Dee Heckethorn Entrepreneurship Award 2025

    Economic Development Organization Presents Annual Highlights and Awards

    Oswego County, June 2025

    Scott Antonacci received the 2025 Dee Heckethorn Entrepreneur Award in recognition and appreciation of his exceptional entrepreneurial spirit, creativity and dedication to starting multiple advanced manufacturing and prototyping businesses here

  • Photo of Think Variant’s Chief Creative Officer, Stephanie Budmen, recognized by Women in Manufacturing.

    WOMEN IN MANUFACTURING: Stephanie Budmen

    Oswego Business Journal, June 2025

    “Curiosity, imagination and innovation meets manufacturing. This is one way to describe the two companies that Stephanie Budmen has helped to establish in the last decade.”

  • Image of a drone in the sky, in reference to Think Variant's partnership with Involi

    Avoiding tariffs with a U.S. production partner

    StartUpTicker, April 2025

    Through GENIUS NY, we were introduced to Think Variant — true manufacturing superstars.” Partnering with them has proven to be a great move for INVOLI”

  • Image of GeniusNY teams holding checks, in reference to Think Variant partnering with GeniusNY

    Why Upstate NY is the Center of the Drone Universe

    Commercial UAV News, December 2024

    “Think Variant, also headquartered near Syracuse, NY, has also thrived and overcome the same adversities to be a dominant force in advanced manufacturing.”

  • GeniusNY Innovation Night 2024

    GeniusNY, October 2024

    Think Variant has collaborated with each of the GENIUSNY finalists: Aerialoop, Aviant, Crover, Flyhound, and INVOLI. Watch as those five finalists pitch for $1 Million Dollars.

  • Photo of Stephanie Budmen and Isaac Budmen, co-founders of Budmen Industries and Think Variant, featured in a Syracuse.com article on leadership.

    Isaac and Stephanie Budmen on leadership: It’s about people, not products

    Syracuse.com, October 2024

    They are inventors and co-founders of two Central New York companies, Budmen Industries and Think Variant.

  • Stephanie and Isaac Budmen, co-founders of Budmen Industries and Think Variant, featured in a leadership article.

    Isaac and Stephanie Budmen on leadership: It’s about people, not products

    This is CNY, October 2024

    “At Think Variant, we joke that the way to get us on the hook is to walk through the door and say, everybody told me this part’s impossible.”

  • Photo of Blueflite founders shaking hands with Think Variant co-founders Scott Antonacci and Harold Watkins during their new drone manufacturing partnership.

    Blueflite Teams Up with Think Variant for Drone Manufacturing

    3D Printing.com, October 2024

    Blueflite has partnered with Think Variant, a New York-based leader in high-precision manufacturing.

  • Blueflite founders with Think Variant co-founders Scott Antonacci and Harold Watkins, announcing their drone manufacturing partnership.

    GENIUSNY Grand Prize Winner Partners with CNY Manufacturer to Scale Drone Production

    CenterState CEO, October 2024

    This collaboration leverages Think Variant’s cutting-edge additive manufacturing techniques to meet the growing demand for high-performance drones in both the commercial and defense sectors. 

  • Blueflite founders shake hands with Think Variant co-founders Scott Antonacci and Harold Watkins to announce their drone manufacturing partnership.

    GENIUSNY Grand Prize Winner Blueflite Partners with Think Variant to Revolutionize High-Volume Drone Manufacturing in Central New York

    GeniusNY, October 2024

    By leveraging Think Variant’s expertise in additive manufacturing and mass production…

  • Think Variant co-founders Scott Antonacci and Harold Watkins meet with Blueflite founders to launch an advanced drone manufacturing collaboration.

    GeniusNY winner blueflite, Think Variant team up on drone manufacturing

    Central New York Business Journal, October 2024

    The company that won the top prize in the 2023 Genius NY accelerator at the Syracuse Tech Garden is now working with an Oswego County manufacturer to scale up production of its drones.

  • Scott Antonacci and Harold Watkins of Think Variant with Blueflite founders, marking the start of a strategic partnership in drone production.

    GeniusNY Winner Blueflite Partners with Think Variant

    Unmanned Systems Technology, October 2024

    This collaboration leverages Think Variant’s cutting-edge additive manufacturing techniques to meet the growing demand for high-performance drones in both the commercial and defense sectors

  • Blueflite partners with Think Variant, represented by co-founders Scott Antonacci and Harold Watkins, to expand drone manufacturing capabilities.

    Past Genius NY winner, Oswego County company collaborate on drone manufacturing

    Oswego County Business Journal, October 2024

    Blueflite has announced a strategic partnership with Think Variant, a firm described as a “high-precision manufacturing specialist,” to scale up production of its drones.

  • Think Variant leadership team members Isaac Budmen (COO), Harold Watkins (CTO), Scott Antonacci (CEO), Matthew Antonacci, and Stephanie Budmen (Chief Creative Officer).

    Think Variant’s Goal: Making the Impossible Possible

    Oswego County Business Magazine, June 2024

    Additionally, we create our own cutting-edge technologies to address unique challenges and push the boundaries of what’s possible in manufacturing,”

  • Photo of render of a building, symbolizing growth in Oswego County

    Companies Are Expanding, Investing in Oswego County

    Oswego County Business Magazine, February 2024

    The company is growing through taking on manufacturing, testing and assembling drones for specialized medical transport uses.

  • Photo of person welding, symbolizing manufacturing growth in Oswego County

    Manufacturing Growth Across Oswego County

    Oswego County Business Magazine, October 2022

    They have developed the Vault, a large format 3D printer with capabilities to print objects up to 7 feet by 5 feet by 5 feet, which is the largest system in the world capable of printing with two heads independently