Skip to content

43North Y10 Cohort Gets Immediate Introduction to Buffalo

News Portfolio News

From Boston, Brooklyn, and beyond — our Y10 cohort is quickly finding their new home in Buffalo.

43North’s 10th cohort moved into Seneca One last week, ready to grow their businesses and embrace the community. See what these founders have to say (already!) about joining the Buffalo ecosystem.

Original Article: Buffalo News

43North startups get Immediate Introduction to Buffalo

Michael Petro | Jan 9, 2025

It was Burak Aksar’s first day living in Buffalo after moving his business to the region earlier this week, and he already found a pickup volleyball game to play in that night.

His company, Spiky.ai, which provides real-time, AI-driven customer insights and tips for revenue teams to help enhance their selling effectiveness, was one of five winners of the latest 43North startup competition.

The $1 million prize winners are required to base their operations in Buffalo for at least one year, and 43North receives a 5% equity stake in their businesses.

43North not only helps its annual cohort of founders make business connections in the region, it also focuses on assisting these entrepreneurs – mostly newcomers to Buffalo – feel at home.

For Aksar, that meant being able to play the game he’s enjoyed for years. He was connected right away to someone who’s part of the 43North ecosystem and happens to play recreational indoor volleyball.

43North welcomed its 10th cohort to Seneca One on Tuesday. It also includes CoverRight of Brooklyn, HeronAI of Cambridge, Mass., and Rarebird of San Francisco. Buffalo startup Food Nerd is also part of the cohort but didn’t have to come very far. Each won $1 million in last year’s competition.

“Business is an important part of the equation, but the other side of the equation is getting to know people,” said Aksar, a native of Turkey who’s been in the U.S. for six years and based Spiky.ai in Boston.

“It was a very quick connection, and you don’t get that kind of actionable introduction from many other places,” he added. “I think the onboarding process is top notch. Everyone is trying to do everything they can to help you. They want to make you feel part of the family.“

Daphne Pariser, founder of HeronAI, a company using AI to help midsized accounting firms, has a massive list of steps she’d like her company to take right away in Buffalo, so she’s had a lot of questions for 43North.

“I’ve been overwhelmed by just how much they are in our corner,” said Pariser, who earned her doctorate degree in Rochester. “I’m so excited to be able to build this company in Buffalo. I kind of felt like I gained an entire team when I won, and not just the funding.”

43North helps with marketing, public relations, sales, raising funds and communicating with potential investors, partnering companies and mentors.

They also assist founders with finding living space, as well as options for social and recreational activities, gyms, nightlife and restaurants.

On Tuesday, founders were in meetings with 43North staff and getting to know the Seneca One building and its history. 43North also provides them with an overview of the area, including all of Buffalo’s historic gems, and what it offers to businesses.

Jeffrey Dietrich, founder of Rarebird, which is making patented coffee with a caffeine replacement, said it is a much more hands-on process than one would get with, for example, the Y Combinator, which is more of a “sink or swim” startup accelerator.

“What makes 43North different is that they try to put together a team and set of services that help address fundamental challenges that we may have as a business while providing the background support that every company would need operationally,” he said.

That helps accelerate a business, more than it changes it, according to Richard Chan, founder of CoverRight, which provides a digital guide for older adults through health, finance and lifestyle options. He’s already thinking about leveraging 43North’s relationships to potentially partner with the likes of M&T Bank and Highmark.

“I’ve been really impressed with the wraparound platform 43North has for such a lean team here and they’ve made everything more seamless,” Chan said.

Sharon Cryan, a Buffalo native and founder of healthy, nutrient-dense food tech startup FoodNerd, isn’t making as big of a move but is embarking on a new manufacturing space – a project three years in the making that is slated to open in March.

FoodNerd is moving from an 8,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Cheektowaga to one that is 30,000 square feet in Clarence, which will nearly double its production of food shipped around the world and build a production and operations team, hiring in sales, food science and nutrition.

“I’m the biggest cheerleader for Buffalo and I’ve been telling all the other founders, ‘I promise, you’re going to love it here,’ ” Cryan said.


Tags: CoverRight, FoodNerd, Heron AI, Rarebird, Spiky.ai

More blog posts

CoachMePlus (Y2) is growing with the Backing of a Big Client: The U.S. Army

CoachMePlus, a standout from our Y2 cohort, is making significant strides in the fitness technology sector. Their collaboration with the U.S. Army has not only enhanced soldier wellness but also propelled the company’s growth, leading to a fourfold increase in revenue in 2024. As they plan to expand their team this year, we’re proud to

Latitude Podcast: How Alex Killian is Redefining Startup Success from Buffalo

In this episode of Latitude, we sit down with Alex Killian—a partner at Bold Ventures, a champion for founder wellness, and a key player at Endeavor. From working with undercapitalized founders to leveraging Buffalo’s unique ecosystem, Alex shares his insights on what it takes to build thriving startups. We explore: The power of founder wellness

Spiky.ai (Y10) is Recognized by G2 and Product Hunt, Earning 28+ Badges and Recognitions

We are thrilled to celebrate the remarkable achievements of Spiky.ai, one of our Year 10 portfolio companies, as they continue to make significant strides in the AI-driven sales coaching industry. G2 Accolades: Spiky.ai has been honored as a Momentum Leader and High Performer in G2’s Winter 2025 reports, earning 28 badges across the Conversation Intelligence