Three companies approved for START-UP NY through UB

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Three companies will join START-UP NY through their affiliation with the University at Buffalo.

The companies, which will startup or expand on or near UB’s campuses, expect to create 25 jobs and invest $547,000 in the Buffalo Niagara Region within five years.

Each company has ties to the university’s academic and research strengths, will collaborate with UB faculty researchers and offer internships, scholarships or jobs to students.

The three companies are:

EnerMed, LLC is a startup that is developing patient specific wound- and bone-healing medical devices that are both portable and wireless. The devices also collect and report bioinformatics. The company, which will move in UB’s Gateway Building downtown, plans to invest $360,000 and create three jobs. It will collaborate with, and recruit interns and graduates from, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. It will apply to the UB Center for Advanced Biomedical and Bioengineering Technology. The company’s founder, Wayne Bacon, serves as a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs through UB’s New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences.

FarrowBOT Inc. is a startup developing a low-cost, preprogrammed dancing mannequin for retailers, event planners and entertainment venues. The company, which will move into the Olmsted Center for Sight at 1170 Main St. in Buffalo, plans to invest $62,000 and create 16 jobs. It will collaborate with, and recruit interns and graduates from, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Coqui 3D Inc. is a Canadian startup based in Kitchener, Ontario, that is opening a U.S. branch to develop an augmented reality surgery training system. The company, which will operate from the Thomas R. Beecher, Jr. Innovation Center on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, plans to invest $125,000 and create six jobs. It will recruit interns and graduates from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. It will collaborate with the UB’s Center for Computational Research and the Behling Simulation Center.

START-UP NY stands for SUNY Tax-free Areas to Revitalize and Transform Upstate New York. The program 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.

Since Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced the program, 56 companies (including the three announced here) have pledged to move or expand in the Buffalo Niagara region and work with UB to further their respective businesses. The 56 companies plan to create 1,810 jobs and invest $52,988,322 in the region.

Editor's note: EnerMed is now known as Garwood Medical Devices.