After winning $1 million in the 2024 43North Finals, HeronAI didn’t waste time getting to work in Buffalo. CEO Daphne Pariser relocated in January, and within weeks, the company made its first local hire.
Today, HeronAI has seven employees — four of them based in Western New York, including several University at Buffalo graduates working as programmers. These hires are contributing across product development, integrations, and sales — playing key roles in the company’s early traction.
Pariser credits 43North’s support from hiring resources to investor introductions, with helping HeronAI quickly gain traction in the Buffalo market.
“You just don’t get this kind of attention anywhere else,” she told The Buffalo News. “It was really quick for me to get up and running here, starting with the hiring process.”
HeronAI is one of five startups that received a $1M investment through 43North in 2024, and it’s a clear example of how the program fuels real growth in Buffalo’s tech ecosystem.
