#buffalo startups

“The $5 million 43North contest stands out for having the biggest prize pool of any competition in the United States and the largest individual prizes.... City officials and business leaders are eager to assist growing companies, and Buffalo’s residents are welcoming to newcomers”

“When AOL Co-founder and Revolution CEO Steve Case and his Rise of the Rest tour is here on September 30, they'll meet with players like Bak USA, City Dining Cards and Empire Genomics -- showcasing our ability to grow local businesses and attract international companies here. And they'll find them at destinations like Larkinville, Canalside and Riverworks -- which weren't even on the map just a handful of years ago and now attract millions of visitors each year.”

Photography by Robert Thuerck

The new TV show Start Up will feature three of Buffalo’s own startups including Public Espresso at the Hotel Lafayette, city dining cards, and Consumer Beverage’s Craft Cruiser. The three businesses are featured as Buffalo is being internationally recognized as a startup hub in America. Start Up travels the country and features entrepreneurs to see what it really takes to start up a business. 

Bak USA is one of the more exciting startups recently brought to Buffalo via the Startup NY program whose owners claim they want to make Buffalo into its own Silicon Valley. This Bak Board 3G commercial was shot in and features Buffalo stating “Made for Buffalo. in Buffalo.”

Appearing on CNBC's reality TV show, "Restaurant Startup," Lloyd's taco truck won a quarter of a million dollars from investors Tim Love and Joe Bastianich in exchange for 25% of the company. Spaces for their brick-and-mortar stores are already leased on Elmwood and Hertel. Lloyd's owners, Chris Dorsaneo and Peter Cimino, beat out a food truck couple from Chicago for their investment and they plan to open on April 1st.

11 start-up businesses chosen from nearly 7,000 competitors across 96 countries and all 50 states are moving into Buffalo's downtown incubator space after successfully earning a piece of a $5M pie to bring start-ups to Buffalo. Due to the success of "the world's largest business idea competition" the competition is already getting the funding it needs to be held again next year. 43North and incubator spaces are making Buffalo an internationally recognized entrepreneurial destination.

Applicants for this competition came from all 50 states and 96 countries in total. Six of the finalists are in the medical and life sciences industry which supplements Buffalo's reputation as a national leader in the field. The other businesses were in advanced manufacturing and clean energy and technology fields, two other industries growing synonymous with Buffalo. Ultimately, four start-ups came from Upstate New York- Syracuse, Rochester, Batavia, and Tonawanda; four came from across the country - North Carolina, Massachusetts, Ohio, Florida; and three came internationally - Canada, Scotland, and Taiwan.