A group of volunteers is working to bring back Buffalo Startup Week, a four-day ode to entrepreneurship throughout the eight counties of Western New York.
Powered by nonprofit BootSector, the event will be hosted Nov. 14-18 at Seneca One Tower.
It will seek to amplify the region’s entrepreneurial streak and serve as a welcome mat for anyone who wants to join in.
“This is an access point where the community can come in and see what’s happening,” said Kat Carter, a frequent consultant with local startups and one of the volunteers hosting the event. “This is for future founders, future startup employees and future startup investors.”
The event won’t just focus on downtown Buffalo’s tech scene, though that will be one point of emphasis, Carter said. It will incorporate company builders throughout Western New York, with different expos highlighting things such as physical goods, software products and support services.
Carter said the group is looking for more volunteers and sponsors, and is also still in the process of booking panel discussions and speakers. Networking events at Seneca One Tower will take place in the evening.
Buffalo Startup Week has a legacy as a regional rallying point. Its last in-person incarnation took place over five days in September 2019, with several web-based events during the pandemic.
Carter said Buffalo Startup Week will be a unique event, taking the best of tech-specific events in larger metropolitan hubs with the broader scope of smaller celebrations of entrepreneurship.
“Community is so important,” Carter said. “Being a founder can be a very isolating experience. My hope is that attendees see that there is a very vibrant and growing entrepreneurial community here."
