Bright Buffalo Niagara to showcase the hottest investment prospects from the 43North competition

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Bright Buffalo Niagara will partner with 43North, the world’s largest business plan competition being held in Buffalo to showcase some of the hottest investment prospects from across the globe, to present The Bright Buffalo Niagara Semifinalist Meet-Up.

Bright Buffalo Niagara has been recognized since 2009 as the premier Western New York event highlighting the region’s entrepreneurial investment opportunities.

On Wednesday, Oct. 29, prior to the 43North finals, investors, sponsors and entrepreneurs will have an exclusive opportunity to meet and learn more from some of the 113 semifinalists.

The event will take place from 3-7 p.m. at the University at Buffalo’s Clinical and Translational Research Center, 875 Ellicott St., Buffalo. A champagne toast will take place at 5:30 p.m. and will feature speeches by Norma Nowak, director of science and technology for UB’s New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, and Andrew Pulkrabek, 43North executive director.

“The 43North competition affords Western New York the opportunity to showcase the best and brightest new ideas from across our region and worldwide,” said Nowak. “The semifinalists we have gathered rose to the top in a sea of almost 7,000 business plans and we are both proud and humbled to welcome them to this premier entrepreneurial event.”

Exhibitors participating in Bright Buffalo Niagara represent a wide range of services and products in health care, advanced manufacturing, agriculture, printing, energy and technology, including an advanced manufacturing company offering an ultra-precise research measurement system used for the development of sub-nano materials and devices, a startup company creating a portable hemodialysis device so that end stage renal disease patients can enjoy more mobile lifestyles and a social media app that allows you to record stories about your photos by linking voice and image.

Bright Buffalo Niagara will feature 41 exhibitors from across the globe, including participants from Buffalo, California, Florida, New York City, Ottawa, Toronto, Switzerland, Australia and Israel. The Bright format, featuring exhibition opportunities and networking, gives companies that were not selected as one of the 43North finalists an invaluable platform to connect with the investor community.

“I’m excited to welcome these innovative, ambitious and creative 43North semifinalist teams to Buffalo for the Bright Buffalo Niagara Semifinalists Meet-up,” Pulkrabek. “This is an excellent opportunity for each company to introduce themselves to potential funders and I sincerely hope that each team will consider growing their company in Buffalo. The event is well named, as the future of Buffalo’s startup scene is bright, indeed, and 43North is proud to be part of it.”

Bright Buffalo Niagara 2014 Sponsors:

UB’s New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, 43North, Superior Group, Buffalo Niagara Enterprise, Buffalo Niagara Partnership, First Niagara Foundation, Kavinoky Cook, Lumsden McCormick LLP, Phillips Lytle LLP, SoftBank Capital, Walsh, The Buffalo History Museum, Freed Maxick, HSBC, Insyte Consulting, Performance Management Partners, Serotte Law, Summer Street Capital Partners and Visit Buffalo Niagara.

In addition, Bright has collaborated with the Western New York Venture Association to kick off the day’s festivities by presenting “The Wild West of Equity Based Crowdfunding” from 1-2:30 p.m. in the Zebro Room of Roswell Park Cancer Institute’s Center for Genetics and Pharmacology, adjacent to UB’s New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, 701 Ellicott St., Buffalo.

Investors, entrepreneurs and business professionals are encouraged to explore the newest frontier in entrepreneurship before making their way down to the Bright Buffalo Niagara event. The lecture will provide details on regulation guidelines and tips on how to complete an equity crowdfunding offer. Interested individuals can register for the lecture series at http://wnyvacrowdfunding2014.eventbrite.com.