Buffalo-based investor Jack Greco took the virtual podium May 11 to introduce a startup he’s invested in, Buffalo-based Foodnerd, to a broad network of successful executives and investors across western and central New York.
Following founder Sharon Cryan’s presentation to the group, she was connected to high-ranking managers in the supermarket and packaging industries and the Shark Tank television show.
Thus is the collective potential of Upstate Venture Connect’s UNY 50 network, said Nasir Ali, CEO of UVC.
Upstate Venture Connect takes aim at one of the most intractable issues in New York state – how to meaningfully intermix its regional economies – by seeking to connect the high-impact entrepreneurs and investors within them. The UNY 50 initiative is an all-star team of sorts of professionals seeking to pay it back to the next generation. It includes Brian Corrigan, founder of Albany region gaming company MadGlory, which was acquired by PUBG; Michael Quigley, co-founder of SpinCar in Syracuse; and Aaron Newman, founder of CloudCheckr in Rochester.
Buffalo-based participants include Greco, who co-founded ACV Auctions, and John Jahnke, CEO of fast-growing Tackle.io.
UNY 50 has been active for a few years, with a website where those interested can connect with its members. But the May 11 meeting was a more active role for the group, bringing in budding startups such as Food Nerd and asking one another how they can help.
“The idea came from us saying, ‘We know all these great people who are ready to help other entrepreneurs, but they’re in their own silos and their own communities,' ” Ali said. “So how do we connect them to one another, and how can we connect them to emerging founders?”
Ali said future web-based events where UNY 50 members introduce emerging startups are on tap. He said the mass onset of videoconferencing brought on by the pandemic has paved the way for curated, specialized events where attendees are also participants. Getting the members of UNY 50 together in a room for regular meetings would have been impossible.
Upstate Venture Connect was created before almost every city had a high-tech incubator facility, which now serves as a welcoming mat for people who want to get involved in startups. He says the issues are less about publicizing the existence of startup scenes. Now it's about supporting the many startups that are growing quickly and suddenly have mature business needs.
“You are dealing with operational, strategic, customer and supply chain issues,” he said. “Those are the places where our experience and network can really help you.”
