Eight companies join START-UP NY through UB

Eight more companies will open or expand operations on or near UB’s campuses through START-UP NY, the tax incentive program established by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

Together, the businesses expect to create 213 jobs and invest $5,115,500 in Western New York within five years.

The companies have ties to UB’s academic and research strengths, and will look to collaborate with the university by partnering on research projects, offering internships and jobs to students, and otherwise engaging with UB.

The eight companies are:

Expected investment: $3,650,000
Location: TBD
Expected jobs: 10

This early-stage biotechnology company is graduating from the UB Biosciences Incubator. The firm has developed a specialized assay that uses a patient’s tumor cells to identify which drugs would be most effective for treating that individual’s cancer, allowing oncologists to better select which chemotherapy drugs to administer before treatment begins.

The company intends to engage with the Buffalo Institute for Genomics and Data Analytics and utilize equipment and core facilities at UB’s New York State Center of Excellence for Bioinformatics and Life Sciences.

Expected investment: $185,000
Location: 43North incubator
Expected jobs: 26

A winner of the 43North business plan competition, this company is new to New York State. Its related Canadian company designs, assembles, sells, services and distributes a medical device used for sanitizing portable electronics in health care using ultraviolet light. The company will establish a U.S. headquarters in Buffalo to better access the U.S. market.

The company intends to apply for funding from the UB Center for Advanced Biomedical and Bioengineering Technology (UB CAT), enroll in the Startup CEL program run by the School of Management’s Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL), and recruit interns and graduates from the School of Management.

Expected investment: $95,000
Location: Olmsted Center for Sight, 1170 Main St, Buffalo
Expected jobs: 5

Founded by a graduate of UB's School of Architecture and Planning, this Western New York-based company produces the Quick Release Rowing Shoe System, a patented shoe assembly system for rowing that allows rowers to enjoy stability within their own shoes and provides a safe release in case of an emergency.

The company is interested in engaging with UB researchers to identify new materials to improve product performance.

Expected investment: $830,000
Location: TBD
Expected jobs: 148

This Western New York-based early-stage information technology company provides integrated operations management solutions for suppliers, manufacturers, transportation providers and consumers in the supply chain network.

The company is interested in engaging with UB research centers and in exploring opportunities for student experiential learning.

Expected investment: $90,000
Location: UB Downtown Gateway
Expected jobs: 6

This early-stage animation production company specializes in animation and demonstration videos, with capacity to create stand-alone, high-detail animations for clients, whether the end product is 2-D or 3-D animation. 

The company is working with the Center for Computational Research (CCR), UB’s supercomputing facility, and intends to continue collaborating on new projects and accessing the CCR’s supercomputing infrastructure.

Expected investment: $96,000
Location: 250 Cooper Ave., Tonawanda.
Expected jobs: 8

This Western New York-based alternative engineering company designs and commissions production plants that take carbon-based feedstocks (municipal solid waste, wood, grains, natural gas, etc.) and converts them into finished fuels or electricity. The company is deploying exclusively licensed patented technology.

The company intends to recruit interns and graduates from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and from the School of Management.

Expected investment: $69,500
Location: UB Downtown Gateway
Expected jobs: 2

This information technology company with operations in Western New York is developing a software application called Mobile Encrypted Data Xchange (M.E.D.X), a mobile app that can securely exchange protected health information peer-to-peer to help improve clinical workflows and patient outcomes.

The company intends to recruit interns from UB, apply for funding from the UB CAT and make the M.E.D.X. software available to users at UB for beta testing. The company is also interested in seeking business strategy support and market research assistance from UB experts.

Expected investment: $100,000
Location: UB’s Baird Research Park
Expected jobs: 8

This new business is developing a Web and mobile application called Fandoozy.com, a sports-specific social media portal focused on competitive conversation. The company will offer a proprietary, scored debate platform where sports fans and professionals can debate hot sports topics, with winners crowned.

The company intends to provide free memberships to UB students for its platform, recruit interns and graduates from the departments of Communication and Media Study in the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Department of Computer Science and Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

START-UP NY — SUNY Tax-free Areas to Revitalize and Transform Upstate New York — aims to spur economic development by enabling universities to identify areas where new and expanding businesses can operate for 10 years without paying New York State business, corporate, income, sales or property taxes, or franchise fees.

Including the eight companies announced here, a total of 72 companies are participating or approved to participate in START-UP NY through their affiliation with UB, furthering their respective businesses and creating jobs in Western New York.

Since UB’s last START-UP NY announcement in March, three companies have left the program: Biologichem LLC, Doolli Inc. and Lineagen Inc.