Blackbird Raises $20MM; GNF Expands to Denver

Check out what happened in the WNY Startup Community this week and what you can look forward to next week.

Weekly (and Catch-Up!) Recap

June 5-25, 2023

BootSector in the Community

GNF Kicks Off in Denver

https://www.goodneighbor.fund/

Congratulations to Good Neighbor Fund on a successful launch event in Denver! This is GNF's second chapter and we can't wait to see more grow.

GNF enables individuals from financially disadvantaged communities to pave their way to a better life through entrepreneurship. They do this through $1,000 micro-grants to entrepreneurs in Buffalo and Denver. GNF is proudly Powered by BootSector!

Supporting Young Entrepreneurs in Lancaster

Peter Herrscher (Lancaster High School) reached out to BootSector to give feedback to budding high school entrepreneurs. And BootSector answered the call! Bootsector's Asif Hossain, Kamal Patel, and Jordan Walbesser spent half a day listening to pitches and providing feedback to these aspiring startups! Can BootSector Help Your Community Project? Email us!

Startup Community Events

Upcoming Events

Looking for something entrepreneurial to do? Why don't you come out to these upcoming events Powered by BootSector?

• Better Together - Monday, June 26 from 7:00-8:30pm on Zoom
• Buffalo Startup Coffee - Tuesday, June 27 from 7:30-9am at HANSA
• Buffalo Cannabis Network - Wednesday, June 28 from 8:30-9:30 at HANSA
• WNY AgTech Meetup - Wednesday, June 28 from 5:30-7:00pm at Starco Lighting

And here's a few other startup community events to check out this week:

• SBDC One-On-One Business Counseling (404 Link Removed) - Wednesday, June 28 from 9-noon at WBC

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

It's Raining Raises: Blackbird Raises $20MM!

Congratulations to Blackbird.AI on their $20MM Series B ! The latest funding round was led by Ten Eleven Ventures with participation from Startfast Ventures, Dorilton Capital, Generation Ventures and angel investors.

And CleanFiber Raises $6.7MM!

The raises just keep coming! Congratulations to CleanFiber on their $6.7MM raise (404 Link Removed) ! The debt financing round was led by Western New York Impact Investment Fund, a repeat investor in CleanFiber.

One More - Arbol Raises $350k!

Ring that bell! Congratulations to Arbol on their $350k raise (404 Link Removed) ! This funding round was led by the University at Buffalo's Innovation Seed fund with participation from WNY Impact Investment Fund.

Another Award for the University at Buffalo

The University at Buffalo has received the Deshpande Symposium Award for Excellence in Student Engagement in Entrepreneurship. The award recognizes the development of startup awareness, skills and practice. Congratulations! Read more here (404 Link Removed) !

Let's Launch - Meet Stratium

Stratium is an innovative developer, producer, and seller of high-quality protein derived from Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) as an ingredient used in animal feeds, aquaculture, and pet foods. Managing Director, Bobbie Thoman (404 Link Removed) , is ready to generate some buzz!

Speaking of Buzz - Try Rocketcup!

https://www.rocketcupcoffee.com/pages/about

If you or anyone you know are coffee lovers and community builders. (That's like, all of us, right?) Reach out to MacKenzie Bush (404 Link Removed) and see how RocketCup Coffee would love to impact your community. Rocketcup wants to revitalize the world through projects in communities all over. Check 'em out here! →

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:

• Four business owners recently formed a partnership (404 Link Removed) to leverage their networks and skills to help and give back to startups, small businesses and nonprofits.
• Founders share some tips on how to raise capital (404 Link Removed)
• Olivia Goldstein shares her experience after moving back to Buffalo (404 Link Removed) on TellMeAboutBuffalo.com (404 Link Removed)
• Pitch Hamburg hits its stride with its first cohort

Did we miss something? Get your ICYMI featured!

Funding & Opportunities

A Little Bit of This. A Little Bit of That.

We couldn't think of a way to pull all these together, so how about a list?

• The Freshwater Innovation Fund invests in advancing water solutions (404 Link Removed) with the goal of providing opportunities for innovators, investors, and accelerated impact on our greatest global water challenges. - Did you know the Amherst Chamber offers free health insurance broker services to startups? You do not need to be a member! Email at benefits@amherst.org for options available for companies with two or more eligible employees.

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 you to share some advice on how to make your first sale as a startup! We'll post the best responses in next week's newsletter. Share your advice - Click here!

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 WNY Startup Community Slack:

• WEDI - Multiple roles !
• From our friends at FTS - Jr. Controls Electrical Engineer in Buffalo. Manufacturing client, up to-80k for right experience. Exposure PLCs, heavily involved in panel schematics and design, electro mechanical in nature. Email Emma !

From UVC:

• Centivo - Multiple (remote!) roles (404 Link Removed) !
• Foundry - Multiple roles (404 Link Removed) !
• ...and more (404 Link Removed) !

Got a job you want to post? Send it to BootSector!

Parting Thoughts

Confidence in Competition

You want to launch your startup. But your competitors look awfully intimidating. They got there first. They own that space. And their social media makes them seem invincible.

So here's a story about Ulysses S. Grant and his first command. Before his first battle, Grant said, "my heart kept getting higher and higher until it felt as though it was in my throat."

Yet as he approached the enemy, expecting to see them prepared to charge, here's what he saw instead:

"The place where [the Confederates] had been encamped was still there . . . but the troops were gone. My heart resumed its place. It occurred to me at once that [the enemy general] had been as much afraid of me as I had been of him."

So those competitors? They're human, just like you. They're not always confident. They're worried about missing the next big thing. And just as vulnerable to disruption. Go lead the way.

Jordan Walbesser Executive Director, BootSector Share this mailing list with your friends!