May 30, 2023
43North Opens $1MM Competition; Startup Week Date Announced
43North opens its annual $1MM competition. Buffalo Startup Week announces 2023 dates. GNF's Susan O'Rourke presented at Boulder Startup Week.
Check out what happened in the WNY Startup Community this week and what you can look forward to next week.
Weekly Recap
May 22-28, 2023
WNY was blessed with perfect weather over this Memorial Day weekend. Although we hope you spent some quality time with friends and family, we hope that you took a moment to remember the men and women of our armed forces that have given their all in the pursuit of liberty and justice for all of us.
BootSector in the Community
BootSector Welcomes New WNY Prosperity Fellows
We're so excited to welcome the new cohort of WNY Prosperity Fellows. Generously supported by the Prentice Family Foundation, these students are committed to contributing to our region's economic vitality through entrepreneurship.
BootSector's very own Jonathan Wess (404 Link Removed) (also a WNY Prosperity Fellow!) had a chance to meet and speak with the new fellows this past week. Looking sharp!
Good Neighbor Fund at Boulder Startup Week
Good Neighbor Fund's Susan O'Rourke (404 Link Removed) had a great time at Boulder Startup Week last Thursday! She spoke in front a packed room of curious entrepreneurs and investors. It was great to hear directly from founders who are in the thick of it about their journey into entrepreneurship from raising capital to build product!
Tell Me About Buffalo!
Kamal Patel (BootSector's Director of Community Engagement) and David Brenner (WNY Startup Community legend) have teamed up to bring us http://www.tellmeaboutbuffalo.com/.
Access a wealth of information about the city, from finding doctors to locating bike shops. Our goal is to offer accessible knowledge to everyone in the community for FREE. Can BootSector Help Your Community Project? Email us!
Startup Community Events
Save the Date - Buffalo Startup Week
Mark your calendar! Buffalo Startup Week is coming back. Save the date and stay tuned for more information about WNY's premier event for startups and entrepreneurs. The team at BootSector has some great plans in store for this year's event.
Interested in speaking, volunteering, or sponsoring? Send us an email!
More Upcoming Events
Looking for something entrepreneurial to do? Why don't you come out to these upcoming events Powered by BootSector?
- Buffalo Startup Coffee - Tuesday, May 30 from 7:30-9am at HANSA
And here's a few other startup community events to check out this week:
- Networking Meetup | Women in Tech - Wednesday, May 31 from 9-10am at Serendipity Labs (Seneca One)
- Community Pitch Night | PITCH Hamburg - Wednesday, May 31 from 6-9pm at William E. Swan Auditorium
But wait, there's more! You can see all of the WNY Startup Community Events on BootSector's Venture Herd Calendar. Click the button below to see more! Check here for more events!
In Case You Missed It
43North Applications Are Open!
BootSector's friends at 43North threw a party to officially open up applications for this year's business plan competition! It was so great to see so many from the WNY startup community in one spot - let's make sure that WNY is well-represented in this year's competition.
So Much To Share - News Briefs
We're trying to keep things moving in this Weekly Update, but we have so much more to share. Check out these news briefs:
- Rochester startup Sign-Speak joins Amazon accelerator (404 Link Removed) Sign-Speak expects to do a mass deployment of its in-person technology in Q2 2024.
- David Colligan opines on why Athenex's bankruptcy won't stop Buffalo's startup scene →
Did we miss something? Get your ICYMI featured!
Funding & Opportunities
GNF's Y1 Summer Micro-grant Program
The deadline for GNF's Y1 Summer Micro-grant Program is fast approaching on Wednesday, June 21st!
Good Neighbor Fund (powered by BootSector!) is passionate about empowering under-resourced, diverse founders who are at the ideation stage of their entrepreneurial journey. Every great business starts with an idea. Could this be your moment to shine?
43North's Annual Business Plan Competition
Registrations are open for 43North's Business Plan competition! How does a $20MM valuation for your startup sound? And $1MM in cash too? Applications close June 23 - Apply today! (404 Link Removed)
Empowering Education with AI
https://bit.ly/3MlLLE7
Now Powered by BootSector! Think you can enhance education through AI? Join the University at Buffalo in daily learning sessions (TED Talk style discussion) and presentations, integrated with immediate application of the knowledge via a team idea challenge. Finally, the challenge will be supplemented by mentoring and coaching, punctuated by a final pitch presentation.
Want to know more? Register here
ROC the Pitch!
RIT's Center for Urban Entrepreneurship is hosting a Pitch Competition for businesses operating within Monroe County. The goal of the competition is to provide a unique opportunity for businesses that are challenged by the need to secure access to capital to help such businesses grow and provide services.
Pax Momentum is Looking for SAAS Businesses
https://www.paxmv.com/
PAX's virtual accelerator seeking B2B SaaS founders companies for pre-seed investment. Final Deadline Applications for Fall 2023 are open through June 13. Read more about this program here →
Is there an opportunity we missed? Let us know!
BootSector's Weekly Ask
BootSector's purpose is to grow Western New York's Startup Community. Here's one thing you can do this week to help us educate, encourage, and empower the next generation of startup community leaders.
This week, we're asking for you to reach out to one person in the startup community and give that person some encouragement! Startup life is tough - share the love! Got a way that the community can help BootSector? Let us know!
Startup Jobs
We're always on the look out for job opportunities in the Western New York Startup Community. Post your openings on the WNY Community Slack → ! And let us know if you have a position to fill using the button below.
From UB Startup Ventures:
- Startup Success Manager - University at Buffalo
Got a job you want to post? Send it to BootSector!
Parting Thoughts
Being a Good Neighbor
One of the best things about WNY is that you're only two phone calls away from anyone.
The downside? If you start badmouthing others, you'll get a reputation. A bad one. And fast.
So here's a simple rule: Praise by name, criticize by category. And be generous - but sincere - with your praise. As tempting as it is to call someone out, let's build up instead of tear down.
Of course, there is an exception to every rule. It's totally ok to criticize the Patriots by name. Tom Brady too.
Jordan Walbesser Executive Director, BootSector Share this mailing list with your friends!