UB Technology Incubator Welcomes Four New Companies

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo Technology Incubator has welcomed four new companies and completed improvements that bring new amenities and state-of-the-art technology to its entrepreneurs and their employees. A fifth new company will be moving into the incubator next month.

Planning also is underway for new buildings in the Baird Research Park on Sweet Home Road in Amherst that is home to the incubator, according to Woodrow "Woody" Maggard, associate vice provost in the UB Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach.

Maggard said the site has been master-planned for three additional buildings, including one that will extend off of the current building. "We anticipate that within the next 1-2 years we'll break ground for new buildings," he added.

Plans also are underway for placing incubators at the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus in downtown Buffalo and on the UB South (Main Street) Campus, he said, although no timetable has been set.

"By incubator standards, we are at capacity," Maggard noted. "Our occupancy is close to 100 percent, but we have left some space open for future growth of our current members. Small companies can grow very rapidly and we need to be flexible enough to accommodate that growth."

The incubator is home to 18 companies, including an affiliate company that has the home base for its U.S. operations there. The newest members include:

-- GBNow, LLC, which opened its headquarters in the incubator in July, has satellite/sales offices in Rochester and New York City. The company offers a Web-based software technology platform designed to assist businesses in competing for contracts and grants from the federal government.

-- GeneObUSA, Inc., joined the incubator as an affiliate member in September. GeneObUSA and its sister Canadian company, GeneOb, are involved in public-health genomics for obesity and conduct DNA testing and target drug discovery.

-- Lynx Technologies, Inc., and Absolute Energy, Inc., owned by the same entrepreneur, joined the incubator in August. Lynx provides server-room hardware and systems integrations services, while Absolute Energy provides energy purchasing and management services for consumers of large amounts of energy.

A fifth company, Virmatics, LLC, a UB faculty start-up developing bioinformatics software that provides automated tools for biomedical researchers, will join the incubator in November.

Capital improvements projects at the incubator have included its conversion to a WiFi zone. With its wireless network access completed over the summer, many employees enjoyed working outside during their lunch hour. Renovations also were made to the conference room, including new tables, chairs and carpeting, making it a flexible meeting space for up to 25 people.

"One of our much-needed renovations was the acquisition of a back-up generator," Maggard added. "A power surge or lack of power could be devastating to these small companies who are manufacturing sensitive products or conducting critical business operations." The backup generator, which undergoes final testing in October, will be able to power normal business operations for the entire building.