How Kara Jones Built a $350M Drone Empire: Leadership Lessons from Genius NY's Director

Kara Jones was in the right place at the right time in 2017 when CenterState CEO received a state grant to start the uncrewed aerial systems accelerator Genius NY. Jones was in her first week on the job as marketing manager for the business development group. "I was tasked with trying to market this, to get applicants, but I knew nothing about drones," she says. "I had to learn the industry very fast."

Jones even took the eight-week course to become a drone pilot, though she never got her license. "It's still on my bucket list," she says.

In 2021, Jones stepped into the role of Genius NY director. In January 2024, CenterState named her director of programs and engagement, innovation and entrepreneurship. She works out of the newly expanded INSYPRE Innovation Hub, 235 Harrison St., alongside the drone startups competing for $3 million in funding from Genius NY.

Since its inception, the program has attracted more than 42 startups to Central New York, Genius NY said in announcing its ninth cohort in August. The five finalists have until May to refine their business plans. On May 7, they will participate in a "Shark Tank"-like competition for $1 million. The runners-up receive $500,000 each.

Jones oversees three of CenterState's 12 full-time staff members at INSPYRE, plus the dozens of portfolio companies within Genius NY. At least 14 of those companies are located at the hub. Since 2017, the program has invested over $24 million, creating hundreds of jobs and attracting $350 million in follow-on investment.

Jones, 34, grew up in the Saratoga Springs area and graduated from SUNY Oswego in 2013 with a degree in public relations. That led to a job as public information officer for Oswego County, where she grew visibility for businesses and recreational opportunities. Jones also earned a master's degree in communications from Marist University.

Jones and her husband, Dan, live in Liverpool with their children, Stella, 4, and Jules, 3.

Aviant, of Oslo, Norway, operates a drone delivery service. The company won the $1 million grand prize in the GENIUS NY business competition in Syracuse on Oct. 28, 2024.

The Unseen Drone Revolution

You're working with the ninth cohort of drone startups but it's a bit under the radar. What's happening here that most of us don't see?

Drones still feel a little abstract to most people until you actually see them in action. So, whether that's delivering critical medication, helping first responders locate a missing person or inspecting facility roofs via LIDAR, you don't realize how much drones are already impacting daily life. The question isn't if drones will touch your life, it's how. And the answer is quietly unfolding.

What people probably might not see is that Syracuse and our region have been quietly building one of the strongest UAS ecosystems in the country, if not the world. We invested early. Genius started in 2017. We've built up our ecosystem, the New York UAS test site, and brought in top companies and talent. But it's not just about the drones. It's the whole ecosystem — the communication systems, the radars, and that critical infrastructure with partners like NUAIR. We are building that full stack and making technologies real and ready to scale.

Even if the average person hasn't noticed yet, the industry absolutely recognizes it here. And someday soon it'll be obvious to everyone, like drones delivering your packages. I think I get asked when that will happen every month.

So, when will it happen?

It's happening right now in certain parts of the country, but day-to-day operations, we're probably a year out from that still.

Measuring Success in Startup Investments

You're making big bets on these unproven startups. Some might develop slowly; others might fail. How do you measure success?

Early-stage investments are inherently a bet. Our job is to support more companies than we lose and to help founders avoid mistakes, plan early and ahead. Success is measured a number of different ways, but I would say it's not just job numbers. Success looks like securing [intellectual property], building a prototype to a minimum viable product, commercialization. It's landing your first customer, having your first pilot, raising investment using local vendors and talent and, yes, eventually hiring. But high-tech companies don't scale overnight. And some grow slowly, but they're growing meaningfully.

Even when teams choose not to stay in Syracuse after our Genius NY program, we continue to meet with them, support them learn and they know that our community is ready and waiting whenever the timing is right to come back. We also hold equity in these companies, so the region benefits from their success even when they're not here full time.

Leadership from a Founder's Perspective

From a leadership perspective, what do founders want from you?

Sometimes it's a connection, sometimes it's a sounding board to talk through a tough decision. Sometimes it's just someone to say, you know, you're not crazy, keep going. For me, leadership isn't just about that. It's not just about the connections and advice. It's about seeing the bigger picture for them, helping them prioritize, knowing when to push, knowing when to step back and when to rally the right resources or people around them.

I think founders trust me because I see them. I know it's lonely and I know what they sacrifice, whether it's their kids, birthday parties, vacation, stability. I never ran a startup, but I've watched these founders go through it. And like you said, some fail, some succeed. But I try and bring empathy and perspective to every interaction. That combination of operational support, strategic guidance and genuine care -- that's the leadership piece I hope makes a difference.

I try to lead from a place of humanity. We're not saving lives at INSPYRE but days can be long and hard. Humor, empathy and perspective go a long way.

INSPYRE Innovation Hub

AI and Leadership Insights

How are you thinking about AI and how it might affect your work?

I love to hate it and hate to love it. I think it makes things easier and faster, but I never want to lose the human touch and the human side of communication. You can always tell when people use AI to write an email because it feels off. In terms of working in innovation, AI is great for lean startups, but with boundaries. It should support creativity but not replace it.

I'm more mindful of being present. When I approach meetings, I'm trying not to go in with AI bots. No phones and purely just a notebook and my cell phone put away. It's nice to focus in. When I do it, others follow. In our work [it's made for] fewer distractions.

Did you have leadership roles growing up? Who or what influenced you developing your leadership abilities?

Growing up, I always wanted to be a teacher. Oddly enough, my husband is one. [Dan Jones teaches and coaches hockey at Cicero-North Syracuse High School.] I always used to play school with my cousins, and I always loved helping them learn, read and write. In high school, I was also a big connector. I ran yearly Foosball tournaments in my basement, managed the brackets, managed the teams. I was also senior class president. So, leadership has just been within me all this time.

My family shaped a lot of who I am, too. My parents divorced at a really young age, and I kind of became the therapist of the family. I learned to listen, to mediate and to hold space. I'm honestly shocked I didn't become a therapist. And my Aunt Jody has been a really big role model for me. She's a cancer survivor. She had cancer in her 30s and really taught me perspective and positivity.

I also grew up with an older brother, so I am competitive, and I really hate to lose. That's good and bad, and it definitely drives me.

Advice for Aspiring Leaders

What advice would you give for effective leadership, especially to somebody who's new to it or aspires to be a leader?

Create different ways for people to share. I've learned I can't expect everyone to speak up at a meeting. So, find ways to have your team speak up and feel comfortable.

Lean on your team. I tell my little toddlers: Teamwork makes the dream work. It's become their little mantra.

Don't fall into the trap of thinking that leaders need to know everything. When I became director of Genius, I thought I needed to be a drone expert. I tried, and I found that it's impossible. But having the right people around you is important and [so is] not being afraid that they're smarter than you.

Leadership isn't a title. Anyone can lead. I was almost nervous for this interview because I'm [wondering]: I'm a leader? A lot of newer leaders, especially women, may feel like that. Leadership is how you show up every day. It's lived, not labeled.

What career advice would you give a young person starting out now?

Lean on the people around you. Don't take that for granted. It's easy to Google things but the people right in front of you have so much knowledge, experience and stories.

Even if your role doesn't feel perfect, soak up everything you can because it will matter later. It probably won't look the way that you imagined in college. My career certainly doesn't. I never thought I would be in the drone ecosystem space.

Failing is OK and I would love to start normalizing this. You can learn from it, you can pivot, you can move forward. Working with startups, I see it all the time as part of their culture, and I'd really like to see that mindset shared more across the business world in general.

Something I live by is: Just stay curious. It will help you learn, grow in your career, and you just never know where it'll take you.

Kara Jones (second from left), director of Programs and Engagement at INSPYRE Innovation Hub, poses with representatives of SUNY Oswego after a tour of the hub this past summer.

Personal Reflections and Community Impact

If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your younger self?

Not to let emotions or self-doubt get in the way of doing your best. I was the first person in my household to go to college, and I often felt like maybe I wasn't smart enough or technical enough. And especially in the drone industry that is mostly men. I would remind myself: You learn fast, you work hard, you get things done and you care about people. And those qualities matter just as much as being the most technical person in the room.

Keep making people laugh and smile. That's a part of who I am and how I lead. I joke that if I weren't doing this, maybe I would be a standup comic. I love humor.

You probably could live and work anywhere. Why do you choose Central New York?

I'm originally from outside Saratoga Springs. My husband grew up in Toronto. I wanted a city and he wanted a community. Syracuse ended up being the perfect mix of both. It's sort of that big little city and it's halfway for both our families. At the time we were like, yeah! And now we're like, why don't we live close to grandparents? What are we doing?

It's great for family activities year round. There's hockey, a community that really shows up for others, and a place where we've been able to really love our home and a good place to have our children grow up.

I went through Leadership Greater Syracuse in 2020 and it really cemented my connection to the region and gave me a deeper appreciation for the work that we're doing to grow and strengthen Syracuse.

If I handed you a magic wand, what's the one thing you would change about Syracuse?

I would change how people feel about Onondaga Lake. I grew up tubing, wakeboarding and water skiing on the Hudson River, which was also dredged. And I turned out fine, I think. I want my kids to have those same memories here on this lake that's so visible to this community. I recently took a boat tour with Syracuse Boat Tours in the summer, and it was the first time I had actually done the whole loop of the lake besides kayaking, and it was beautiful. It was really sad that there were no other boats on the lake in the middle of summer. We've done great work with the amphitheater and the parkway, but I'd really love to see more activity on the water and get people out there enjoying it.