Buffalo Startup Week aims to continue to amplify the local entrepreneurial community as it strengthens and grows.
Last year, the first in-person startup week since 2019, volunteer organizations did that to the tune of 1,200 attendees. That’s despite a big snow storm that pushed the final days of programming from November to February 2023. This year, they hope to top 2,000.
“At the end of the day, we’d like the community to be recognized nationally as one of the strongest in the country in terms of volume, support, strength and opportunity for everyone,” said Kat Carter, Buffalo Startup Week executive director.
To do so, this year’s startup week, powered by Bootsector and running Nov. 13-17 at Seneca One Tower, is keeping some popular staples while adding new offerings.
What’s staying the same at Buffalo Startup Week
The mission — and the price. Buffalo Startup Week will remain free, and Serendipity will offer free co-working space for those who come to startup week from out of Buffalo and need space.
The programming will still include two expos: Made in Western New York, which features businesses that make products or provide services in the region, on one night, and Resources for Entrepreneurs, which features over 50 local groups that offer free (or nearly free) offerings to support small business owners, on another night.
What’s new at Buffalo Startup Week
Programming-wise, startup week is largely introducing different sessions from last year's.
The exact schedule is still to be determined, but the focus is on the intersection of the needs – like finances, data, legal, marketing and sales – that all types of entrepreneurs have.
One new session will be on a guide to Buffalo’s startup ecosystem to help people better understand the different pieces needed to build a successful business environment, what Buffalo has in place, where everyone fits into it and what’s the next focus to continue to grow.
This year’s startup week will also feature an investor day where entrepreneurs can hear presentations from investors, participate in a “speed dating”-type session and compete in a pitch contest (where the prize is bragging rights).
Organizers are also kicking off a program called Sounding Board, which will continue beyond startup week, where entrepreneurs can go to office hours with startup experts to get feedback on their businesses’ value propositions.
