The oscillating TV stand. The alarm clock cup. The Lego Suck It!, which vacuums up Legos and instantly sorts them by size. These are all examples of Matty Benedetto’s Unnecessary Inventions — pointless products he has designed, fully prototyped and documented across his social media channels. He’s made more than 400 of them in the past five years. His videos mimic actual promotional campaigns, and watching him take a ridiculous idea from concept to reality is oddly satisfying, which explains his audience of 15 million.

And that’s just on his social channels; Benedetto has also demonstrated his inventions on TV, including appearances on the “Today” show and repeat segments on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.” The Lego Suck It! was a hit with Clarkson and her guests, including “America’s Got Talent” judge Simon Cowell.

Big brands have noted Benedetto’s reach; Captain Morgan paid him to create the Super Bowl Punch Bowl — you might have seen it, and Matty himself, in an ad during this year’s game. He’s also been part of branded collabs with Disney, Wendy’s and Apple.

A Long Island, N.Y., native, Benedetto came to Vermont in 2008 to attend Saint Michael’s College. After earning a business degree in 2012, he stuck around. His current base of operations is a spacious second-floor suite on the top block of Church Street that used to house the Gap.

In this video, Benedetto discusses his unlikely entrepreneurial journey — and shares his strategy for making content that viewers can’t resist sharing.

Many Tech Jam exhibitors over the years have been sold, moved or disappeared. OnLogic, a locally owned industrial PC company founded in 2003, has demonstrated real staying power. Husband-and-wife team Roland and Lisa Groeneveld launched the company from their kitchen table. He was the engineer; she brought sales and marketing muscle — and a connection to Vermont. Lisa grew up in Barre; they built the business here to be closer to family.

Initially known as Logic Supply, OnLogic has grown and changed as computing demands have shifted. Today it’s known for creating hardware that can survive in some of the most challenging environments on, below and even above Earth — NASA is one of its clients, along with Amazon, General Dynamics, General Motors and Universal Studios.

OnLogic’s specialty is building small, fanless, highly reliable computers — some of the company’s systems have been operating nonstop for more than a decade.

In spring 2024, OnLogic opened its new global headquarters: a 150,000-square-foot, three-story building visible from Interstate 89, by the landmark “Whales’ Tails” sculpture. It features geothermal heating and uses solar power, and the building is four times larger than OnLogic’s previous location across the highway. The University of Vermont Grossman School of Business recognized Roland and Lisa in September with a Vermont Legacy Award.

In this keynote presentation, Seven Days deputy publisher Cathy Resmer talked with cofounder and now-executive board chair Roland Groeneveld and vice president of human resources Lauren Lavallee about how OnLogic has adapted and expanded in a rapidly changing business environment.