43 North Announces Finalists For Pitch Competition

We are just weeks away from Buffalo’s biggest night for startups- the 43North Finals. Since the competition’s origins in 2014, the goal has been to create jobs and opportunities right here in the Queen City, and what better and more creative way than a Shark Tank-esque pitch competition? Unique to its kind, 43North is an accelerator that hosts an annual startup competition, investing $5M per year to attract and retain start-up companies in Buffalo. Now in its seventh year, the competition offers one early-stage startup a chance to secure  $1 million in funding and seven runner-ups $500,000 in addition to: a spot in 43North’s incubator located within the Seneca One Tower, the pinnacle of Buffalo’s downtown landscape, mentorship and support from the 43North team, and the opportunity to operate tax-free as part of STARTUP-NY.

43North is more than just a genie in a bottle for dedicated entrepreneurs, they are also the ultimate tour guides and hosts to the finalists from around the globe, connecting them with mentors, other local businesses and even showing off interesting cultural places unique to our city. Maura Devlin, Vice President of Marketing Strategy and Public Relations at 43North stated,

“That’s a big part of our programming, something that we refer to as ‘quality of life.’ A whole sphere dedicated to showing these founders, who are all mostly new to Buffalo, around our city. We get them out on the water on Lake Erie, we take them skiing so they can really see all the different things that Buffalo has to offer here.”

This competition offers more than funding to well deserving startups, it in turn contributes to Buffalo’s economic development start-up ecosystem and creates jobs locally. Upon securing a cut of the $5 million and agreeing to join 43 North’s cohort, companies  must agree to move half of their employees (including founders) to Buffalo and stay for one year with the ultimate goal of further scaling their business and choosing to stay.

“What we’re trying to do is help people understand the startup and tech space. So much of what we do at 43North is to try to educate people in this community who may be working professionals or young professionals and try to help them understand the opportunities that exist in the startup world. Yes, there are some risks associated because these companies are trying to build and scale really quickly. But at the end of the day, the rewards could be huge for your personal career.”

After multiple rounds of judging, the 43North team has narrowed down their search to 19 companies spanning an extensive set of industries, from clinical testing to fintech services, sustainable farming, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. Join the 43N team on October 28th at Shea’s Theater for Finals and a night that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat with high-energy and the ultimate start-up showdown. The tickets are free and open to the public. Reserve your tickets available at Ticketmaster.

Meet the 2021 43North Finalists:

AKALA

This Software company based out of Beverly Hills, California led by founder Perry Kalmnus is seeking to change the directory of college prep in high school. 67% of high schools in America don’t have a dedicated college counselor. AKALA is a College Admissions Counseling platform that gives customized guidance to students as early as 8th grade and then guides their decision making all the way through high school preparing them to be the ideal college candidate. Visit the website for more information on services provided.

Flox-The Healthy Chicken Company

This software company from London, UK led by founder Imtiaz Shams is a revenue-generating venture using artificial intelligence and machine-vision to enable welfare-first farming, with initial applications in chicken farming. The goal is to improve chicken’s well-being by reducing inputs like soy or antibiotics so that farmers can perform more ethically and sustainably. Visit the website for more information on how the team at Flox is making this happen.

BetterMynd Inc.

This software company based right here in Buffalo led by founder Cody Semrau offers a way for college students to receive counseling online. In partnering directly with colleges, it gives their students access to a diverse network of licensed mental health counselors from the privacy and convenience of their laptops and mobile devices. Colleges such as: SUNY Oswego, Colgate University, Hamilton, SUNY Plattsburgh, Morgan Community College, and Bennington College have already implemented this into their schools. To learn more about services offered visit the website.

Cheelcare

This life sciences company based in Richmond Hill, Ontario, CA led by founder Dima Paltsev is changing the game of assistive mobility devices and accessories. Robotic wheelchairs provide functionality, efficiency, and benefits to users and caregivers. Power add-ons to manual wheelchairs increase users’ independence and comfort. Accessories help them to be connected and safe. To learn more or find a local vendor to make a purchase visit their website.

Laundirs

This software company from Manor, Texas led by founder Don Ward uses technology to optimize and streamline hoteliers top two expenses- labor and linens. This autonomous linen management software platform provides data in real-time and works to reduce expenses and operating costs by up to 40%. The world of hoteliers just got a whole lot easier. For more info or to schedule a service now visit their website.

BotFactory, INC

This manufacturing company from Long Island, New York led by founder JF Brandon combines a conductive ink printer, solder paste extruder, and pick-and-place machine into a single product that allows you to prototype PCBs in minutes reducing lead time from weeks to hours. Once a design is uploaded, their software works by guiding a user through the printing process to create a fully functional 3D printed circuit board in just minutes! To learn more or schedule a consultation visit their website.

Kilter

This software company from Madison, Wisconsin led by founder Seth Braddock makes an inclusive mobile platform that turns everyday health and wellness activities into opportunities for activity based fundraising in order to drive charitable dollars to their favorite causes. Visit the website to learn more.

Tequity

This software company from Kalamazoo, Michigan led by founder Sydney Davis is altering the game for app designers. What WordPress does for websites, this company does for mobile apps. We remove the exorbitant cost & complexity of mobile app development for non-technical innovators. No code solutions such as Tequity, enables startups and large organizations to build, test, and iterate on their mobile applications quicker and easier. Visit the website to find out more.

Ognomy

Trouble sleeping? You could have sleep apnea! This software company from Williamsville, New York led by founder Dan Rifkin is making a massive public health impact by making it easier for more people to get tested, diagnosed, and treated for sleep apnea from the comfort of home. They have built their very own HIPAA compliant software, including an EMR, telemedicine platform, physician network, and logistics capabilities. Visit their website to learn more.

Big Wheelbarrow, Inc

This software company from Austin, Texas led by founder Sam Eder enables food distributors and grocery chains to create and maintain decentralized supply chains in order to meet consumer demand for local food profitably, efficiently, and safely. Learn more at their website.

Infiuss Health

This Life Sciences company based out of San Jose, California led by founder Melissa Bime is a SAAS platform powering remote research/clinical trials in Africa, by connecting researchers (in industry and academia) to patients, participants in Africa to US and EU based pharmaceutical and life science companies for clinical research and clinical trial studies. Visit the website to learn.

Metabob, Inc

This software company based out of Mountain View, California led by founder Massimiliano Genta works by using an AI tool that cuts debugging for engineers in half. Using Python code, Metabob solves one of the most complex situations developers across the globe face on a daily basis. Check out their website for more info.

Kapitalwise Inc.

This software company based out of New York City led by founder Sajil Koroth helps financial institutions to create complex customer engagement workflows without writing a piece of code. With Kapitalwise, financial institutions can pilot and deploy financial wellness tools for precise client interactions in minutes, build life events and financial event-based marketing workflows combining calculators, content, and templates. To learn more visit their website.

VeriTX Corp

This manufacturing company based out of East Aurora, New York led by founder James Regenor unlocks a $140bn digital supply chain market which will feed the increasingly omnipresent decentralized 3D manufacturing capital base for aerospace & defense, medical & industrial applications. Visit the website to learn more.

Top Seedz

This consumer product company based right here in Buffalo led by founder Rebecca Brady makes artisan crackers and roasted seeds packed with nutrition and flavor using the simplest ingredients that nature provides. To learn more or where to buy visit their website.

Ontopical Inc.

This software company from Calgary, Alberta, Canada led by founder Derrick Koenig
uses machine learning and natural language processing to monitor local governments in order to help our customers gain extremely valuable early signals of upcoming contract opportunities and business risks related to policy. To learn more visit their website.

ShearShare, Inc.

This software company from McKinney, Texas led by founder Courtney Caldwell is the first B2B mobile marketplace to monetize underutilized assets in the beauty and barbering industry, starting with space to work. To utilize this service or learn more visit their website.

Zealot Interactive

This software company from Arlington, Virginia led by founder Shaun Masavage makes learning an instrument that much easier with Augmented streaming video lessons for musical instruments paired with state-of-the-art optional hardware. We are a “Peloton for music”. Visit their website to learn more and maybe even learn to play a new song.

Verivend

This software company from Buffalo led by founder Aaron Santarosa offers the quickest way available to pay and get paid, zero barrier to entry allowing businesses to transact with all customers and vendors, unbiased reputation transparency, and a digital wallet powering instant B2B and B2C payments. Visit their website for all the details.

This is a night you won’t want to miss, Buffalo!