Hundreds of local jobs created. Over $175M in venture capital investment. And the first tech unicorn in our portfolio (and in Buffalo).
It’s been quite a year at 43North!
It all started in January, when we welcomed seven new companies to the portfolio for a year of programming focused on mentorship and growth in Buffalo. We also announced a partnership with Techstars to develop the first-ever Startup Ecosystem Development Program. Over the course of the year, 43North portfolio companies Squire, TARA, and Kangarootime closed Series A rounds, CleanFiber raised an additional $5M, and Immersed Games received a $746K grant from the National Science Foundation. And ACV Auctions closed an astounding $150M Series E, surpassing a valuation of $1.5B and becoming our portfolio’s first unicorn.
Ignite Buffalo hosted dozens of free workshops for small business owners, brought Facebook to Buffalo for a day of trainings, held an 8-week Small Business Summer School, and partnered with Ureeka to award $30K to local small businesses through a pitch competition.
As we look back on this past year, we can’t help but eagerly look forward at what’s to come over the next couple of months: our new home at Seneca One Tower, welcoming our sixth cohort to Buffalo and beginning the search for our seventh, and continuing to reach more job creation and investment milestones.
We are grateful for all who have joined us on this journey, and we can’t wait for what 2020 has in store.
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