A look at the 19 companies that are finalists in this year's 43North business competition. Through two rounds of judging on Oct. 26 and 27, the companies will be whittled to eight winners, with a $1 million grand prize and seven $500,000 prizes.
Akala
Who: Perry Kalmus, co-founder and CEO
Where: Beverly Hills
What: A tech-enabled college consultancy aimed at underprivileged youth, giving them customized support throughout the college admissions process.
“The key is that we are a blended model. Tech-only solutions do not work! So we found a way to blend human interaction with an innovative platform. And everything on the platform is customized to the kid, the kid’s school, and the town in which the kid lives.” — Startup.info, May 2021
BetterMynd
Who: Cody Semrau, founder and CEO
Where: Buffalo
What: Web-based platform which partners with colleges and counseling centers to provide confidential online video therapy sessions.
“My own experiences made me realize how hard it is to ask for help. My goal is to use online therapy to make counseling resources more accessible for students.” — Buffalo Business First, May 2021
Big Wheelbarrow
Who: Sam Eder, co-founder
Where: Austin
What: Software-as-a-service startup that helps grocers manage their supply chain.
“Nothing screws up a buyer more than a farmer not being able to deliver what they promised on time. It happens a lot with small farmers.” — Austin Monthly, March 2018
BotFactory
Who: Nick Vansnick, co-founder and CEO
Where: Long Island City
What: Developer/manufacturer of desktop machines that make circuit boards.
“Ultimately our goal is to provide a desktop machine that can allow someone to make a board here and now, at a relatively low cost.” — TechCrunch, October 2016
Cheelcare
Who: Eugene Cherny, co-founder and CEO
Where: Richmond Hill
What: Developer of assisted mobility devices and accessories, such as robotic wheelchairs.
“We founded our company because we wanted to create innovative products that prove their value in everyday life.” — Mobility Management awards announcement, July 2021
Flox
Who: Imtiaz Shams, founder
Where: London, United Kingdom
What: Ag-tech suite of technology tools that helps chicken farmers manage their flocks.
“We're ready to take our tech to sheds everywhere and get on with doing the important work of improving the lives of the chickens we eat. Demand for poultry isn't going anywhere – and neither are we!” — Flox bio on LinkedIn
Infiuss Health
Who: Melissa Bime, co-founder and CEO
Where: San Jose
What: Software-as-a-service platform that seeks to support clinical trials in Africa by seeking to connect life sciences researchers to patients.
“It motivates me every day that I’m actually doing something that matters to someone else’s life.” — Cartier Women’s Initiative, December 2020
Kapitalwise
Who: Sajil Koroth, CEO
Where: New York City
What: Fintech software startup that uses data to help financial institutions deploy tools around specific client interactions.
“I’ve been in banking for the past 15 years and decided to create a solution to help these same financial institutions engage their customers at the right time when they need financial services the most.” — rise.barclays, October 2020
Kilter
Who: Seth Braddock, founder and CEO
Where: Madison, Wisconsin
What: Mobile platform that seeks to create and engages communities around fitness.
“We’re very much sitting in the middle of a healthy living and philanthropic revolution. We essentially saw an opportunity to tie those two things together.” — Wisconsin State-Journal, March 2020
Laundris
Who: Don Ward, founder and CEO
Where: Manor, Texas
What: A software platform that simplifies linen operations for hotels and other large organizations
“Our vision: to disrupt the traditional — Aramark, Cintas, Unifirst — linens services market. Just as Netflix did for movies and Amazon did for books.” — Austin Business Journal, February 2020
Metabob
Who: Massimiliano Genta, founder and CEO
Where: Mountain View, California
What: Artificial intelligence-assisted tool for software engineers that aims to cut the time spent debugging
“We try to help developers speed up debugging, which is one of the most costly aspects for any software developer.” — Data Science Connect conference, September 2021
Ognomy
Who: Dr. Daniel Rifkin, founder and CEO
Where: Buffalo
What: Web-based diagnostic and treatment platform for sleep apnea
“If needed, sleep apnea treatment can save your life, and vastly improve its quality, helping prevent and mitigate dementia.” — Eat This Not That, October 2020
Ontopical
Who: Derrick Koening, founder and CEO
Where: Calgary
What: Tool that uses machine learning and natural language processing to sift through information publicized by local governments
“Ontopical reads thousands of agendas and watches thousands of minutes of government meetings every day, so you don’t have to.” — Ontopical website
ShearShare
Who: Tye Caldwell, co-founder and CEO
Where: McKinney, Texas
What: Business-to-business mobile marketplace that connects beauty stylists to open seats at hair salons
“As the second largest industry for freelancers turns its attention to a new operating normal, many beauty and barbering professionals are taking time to revisit their priorities, including how to better manage operating costs, maximize revenue, and access professional workspace on-demand.” — Dallas Innovate, November 2020
Tequity
Who: Sydney Davis, CEO and founder
Where: Kalamzoo, Michigan
What: Software-as-a-service app that helps non-technical entrepreneurs develop mobile apps.
“I wanted to provide technology education and give everyone the ability to build new technology to solve problems and make money,” — Essence, August 2021
Top Seedz
Who: Rebecca Brady, owner
Where: Cheektowaga
What: Producer of artisan crackers and seeds
“Every year I have doubled in growth, and I want to keep focusing on that. I want to keep growing and finding more large customers who I can begin working with.” — Buffalo Business First, December 2020
VeriTX
Who: James Regenor, founder and president
Where: Buffalo
What: Uses blockchain to support digital supply chain in defense, aerospace and other industries
"This is a huge change from how things are done. When you look at the history of logistics, every time there is a change in modality there is a huge growth opportunity.” — Buffalo Business First, October 2019
Verivend
Who: Rodney Reisdorf, co-founder and CEO
Where: Buffalo
What: Fintech with a business-to-business payments solution
“The fintech market is red hot and nobody has the breadth and robust feature set that Verivend is offering.” — Buffalo Business First, August 2021
Zealot Interactive
Who: Shaun Masavage, co-founder and CEO
Where: Arlington, Virginia
What: Music technology startup with hardware that helps teach guitar, and software that includes a curated content marketplace from instructors.
"Our users start actually listening to the lesson, to the instruction, and they're subconsciously dedicating the sound to memory because they know it's the correct sound. The are fundamentally learning better and faster." — Buffalo Business First, July 2021
