Why Should You Apply to 43North?

Maybe you’re already familiar with 43North. Maybe this is the first time you’re hearing about us.

Either way, we’re happy you’re here! We’re excited to enter our sixth competition and welcome eight new companies to our portfolio – and most importantly, to Buffalo.

There are lots of great startup competitions, incubators, and accelerator programs out there, so you might be wondering, “What makes 43North different?” Aside from the investment of $500K or $1 million, what else do you get?

Here’s why you should apply to 43North:

Our programming is geared towards helping startups raise their next round of funding.

Between our countless connections in the Buffalo business community and our partnership with Techstars, our workshops and programming are catered to the fundraising goals of our portfolio. From specific fundraising tactics to scaling your startup, we bring in business leaders, founders, and investors who can help you grow your team, your revenue, and your money raised.

We also know you’re busy. So we’ll cater our programming to your company’s needs and schedule to make sure you get the action items you need, while not taking up too much of your time.

“We are very thankful that we are able to quickly approach members of the 43North staff and say, ‘Hey guys, we need help with this. Do you know anyone in this area? Can you get us get us assistance here?’ And they are able to turn around what we need within days, even hours, so that is huge for us.” – Andrew Martinko, Suncayr”

We’ve built up an extensive investor network of seed and Series A investors, so we can help you find your next investors.

As part of our recruitment process, we travel across North America, meeting with seed and Series A investors to tell them more about our program and see if they know of any companies that might be a good fit. We also connect them directly with our portfolio, creating deal flow that goes both ways – helping us find great companies for our competition, and helping them grow their portfolios.

Since launching in 2014, our portfolio companies have gone on to raise more than $200 million in venture capital – including a Series D raise by ACV Auctions. So we have the connections to help your company grow!

“Just getting a million dollar check is one thing. But having a team around you to help facilitate it, help you spend it wisely, was also pretty enticing to us. I think what a lot of startups miss out on is they get funding, but they don’t get anybody to help them scale their company with that funding. And so 43North encapsulates both of those.” – Josh Aviv, SparkCharge

We immerse you in the Buffalo community.

We have a work hard, play hard attitude at 43North – and we want you to love your new home in Buffalo. There is a team entirely dedicated to events and quality of life to help our portfolio companies get acclimated and dive in head first to all that our region has to offer. From checking out new restaurants and hot spots to workout classes, sporting events, ski days, and volunteering, you’ll always have something to do!

“Buffalo has been great for us because we wanted to be closer to our customers, which are in this region. 43North has actually walked me into meetings of potential customers, which has been fantastic. And moving to Buffalo has been great. It’s perfect-sized city (around a million in this area), which means there is a pretty low cost of living, while still having enough talent and cultural events around to really keep my team happy.” – Lindsey Tropf, Immersed Games

Our team is your team.

Whether you need help with recruiting, marketing, business development, investor introductions, assistance finding an apartment, or simply finding a great coffee shop or brewery, our team has you covered!

Our staff is comprised of some seriously talented individuals who are ready to help you every step of the way. We come from a wide range of backgrounds, with experience working in banking, politics, national event planning, mergers and acquisitions, digital marketing, travel and tourism, and technical recruiting.

But the one thing we all have in common? Our love of Buffalo.

“Beyond those step-by-step tactical pieces, I also think the general support that we get from the entire staff – checking in on how you’re doing, the sort of quality of life/hang-out pieces, really make a huge difference.” – Emily Lutyens, LegWorks

In our region, your capital goes further.

Low cost of living + affordable, high-quality talent = capital efficiency.

Buffalo has the advantages of a larger city, but without the high costs that typically come with it. Cities like New York, Boston, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Toronto are just a short drive or flight away.

It’s not uncommon to find someone in their 20s buying a home, and a lower cost of living means you can hire more affordable talent – so your budget stretches further.

And if you become a part of the 43North portfolio, you’ll have the opportunity to operate free of state income tax through the STARTUP-NY program for up to 10 years. Yes, you read that right, no income tax.

“Buffalo for us has meant capital efficiency. It’s meant finding a workforce that’s golden and very underpriced, and just full of great teammates and people that are relentless for our customers.” – Scott Wayman, Kangarootime

 

Does this all sound good to you? Our application period is now open, and you can get started here. The final application deadline is July 8, 2019 at 9pm ET (but we like you better when you apply early).

And if you have any questions along the way, we’re always here to help. Check out our FAQs, current portfolio, or shoot us an email at info@43north.org.