Buffalo has evidence of solid momentum in its technology economy – with a lengthy portfolio of startups using investor cash and market traction to scale their local teams.
It won’t mean anything unless there are more ambitious startup founders to follow in those footsteps.
Buffalo Inno is excited to introduce five of the brightest lights in the startup ecosystem. They’re not all working on tech-specific ideas, but they are united in their passion for building big things.
Buffalo was known for its myopia for decades. If this sampling tells any story, it’s that self-belief has returned to the Queen City’s young professionals.
Here are five local founders under 25 years old.
Chad Williams
Founder, dooProcess | Age: 22
Williams started his “streetwear with a soul” apparel company as a nod to the roiling social unrest sweeping the nation in 2020. His messages are also based on personal experience – Williams’ life was nearly derailed after he was falsely accused of assaulting an Uber driver.
He now splits his time between dooProcess and Launch NY, where he is an operational analyst. Read more about Chad Williams here.
• • •
Zandra Cunningham
CEO, Zandra Beauty | Age: 21
Cunningham started her first entrepreneurial endeavor at 9 and never stopped. Her plant-based and cruelty-free beauty line is carried in more than 700 Target stores, along with all Wegmans and Whole Foods locations in the Northeast.
Zandra Beauty saw sales spike during the pandemic as it doubled down on consumer-facing e-commerce during the pandemic. Read more about Zandra Cunningham here.
• • •
Kanishka Wanninayaka
CEO, Yamu Media | Age: 23
Wanninayaka came to the University at Buffalo on a student visa, focusing first on astrophysics, before eventually graduating with degrees in media studies and business. He’s now the founder and CEO of a digital marketing agency that focuses specifically on startups and scaleups, and which has grown to six full-time and 10 part-time employees.
Wanninayaka already cuts an influential figure in Buffalo’s startup community, working to help organize events and volunteering his time well beyond work hours. Read more about Kanishka Wanninayaka here.
• • •
Clarke Thrasher
CEO, Helpt | Age: 20
The Nichols School product currently attends Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – but his true passion lies in Helpt.
The Buffalo-based startup is a web-based marketplace that connects small business contractors and handymen to potential customers. Thrasher and co-founder Matthew Kavanaugh have learned there are endless challenges in the details of building a tech startup, but instead of dimming their ambitious goals, it has only made them more determined. Thrasher is shooting for a full launch this autumn and plans to grow quickly. Read more about Clark Thrasher here.
• • •
Kamal Patel
Co-founder, Layer Slayers | Age: 22
Patel finished up his bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering at the University at Buffalo this spring while launching his company, Layer Slayers, with fellow recent UB grad Daunel Augustin. Layer Slayers earned second-place in UB’s highly competitive Panasci entrepreneurship competition.
Patel has an exceptional network – he helps ACV Auctions co-founder Jack Greco write the weekly Buffalo Bridge newsletter, works part-time at Dan Buckmaster's engineering firm, Tresca Design, and is mentored by PostProcess Technologies founder Daniel Hutchinson. He'll lean on them as he pushes Layer Slayers forward this year. Read more about Kamal Patel here.
