43NORTH ANNOUNCES 27 IGNITE BUFFALO FINALISTS
7 Finalists to compete for 3 $100,000 grants and 4 $50,000 grants
BUFFALO, NY – Today, 43North announced the 27 finalists for the Ignite Buffalo program. Ignite Buffalo is a partnership between 43North, Facebook, M&T Bank, Quickbooks, Amazon Web Services, WordPress.com and WooCommerce.
At the Ignite Buffalo finals on Wednesday, July 11, 7 of the 27 finalists will be called to the stage to pitch for 4 $50,000 grants and 3 $100,000 grants. The remaining 20 finalists will be awarded $25,000 grants.
Said Eric Reich, Chairman of 43North, “It has been both fascinating and gratifying to see such impressive concepts in our small business community. What started as a small idea six months ago was quickly turned into a program that will provide a huge benefit to small businesses across Western New York.”
“It’s really been remarkable seeing the diversity and strength of these small businesses,” said Bill Maggio, immediate past Chairman of 43North and Managing Director of Lorraine Capital. “We’ve seen everything from urban farms to pennant companies, bread collectives to authentic African retail shops. Western New York really came together to jump at this opportunity and it’s a true reflection of how eager our region is to grow.”
The following 27 companies have been named finalists for the Ignite Buffalo program:
– Abyssinia Ethiopian Cuisine
– Always Something Farm
– Barrel + Brine INC
– Black Monarchy
– BreadHive Worker Cooperative
– Buffalo All Star Extreme
– Buffalo Distilling Company
– Casa Azul
– Crown BFLO
– Dani-Fit Inc.
– Ellen K Design – The Flower Stand
– Executive Sweeps LLC
– Get Fokus’d Productions
– Grooperative Inc
– Groundwork Market Garden
– Jeca Energy Bar Company, LLC
– LaMovement Fitness
– Mobile Eco Steam llc
– Om Nohm Gluten Free
– Oxford Pennant
– Papercraft Miracles
– Revolution Spinning
– Rooted Locally, LLC
– Spoke & Dagger Co.
– The Law Office of Stephanie Adams, PLLC
– TopSeedz
– Whole Nine Wellness
The Ignite Buffalo finals, part of the Facebook Community Boost event, will begin at 6pm on Wednesday July 11 at SUNY Erie City Campus and be hosted by Bill Maggio. The Ignite Buffalo finals judges will be Jamil Crews, Director of Social Media, Office of the Mayor and Owner and Managing Director, Crews Control Media, Eric Feldstein, Head of Business Banking at M&T Bank and Colleen E. Heidinger, Vice President of Programming and Community Strategy at 43North.
Also during the Ignite Buffalo finals, 43North’s Nate Benson will host a live edition of the popular “Latitude” podcast featuring Kilby Bronstein from Half & Half Boutique, Freddy Daniel from Freddy J’s BBQ and Peter Cimino from Lloyd Taco Factory and Churn.
Media is encouraged to attend the finals which begin a 6pm. A press conference with the 3 $100,000 winners and community stakeholders will follow the show at approximately 8:10pm.
About 43North
43North is the $5 million startup competition, awarding cash prizes to some of the best entrepreneurs and startups from around the world. 43North winners also receive free incubator space in Buffalo for one year, guidance from mentors in related fields, and access to other business incentive programs such as START-UP NY. 43North operates through the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Buffalo Billion initiative and grants from Empire State Development and the New York Power Authority. Additional support comes from several other sponsors. For more information about 43North, visit www.43north.org.
