Category: Innovation Center

Buffalo’s Newest Entrepreneurs to Pitch Their Businesses for a Chance to Win Seed Funding

by Maria Morrealein BNMC's IC Success, Buffalo, Business Development, Entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Innovation Center, Startups

15 New Business Owners Will Showcase their Companies on December 5, 6, 7

BUFFALO NY– The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) will present its latest pitch competition for its IC Success Summer 2023 cohort on December 5, 6, and 7. The IC Success program provides new and early-stage entrepreneurs with the tools and resources they need to launch and grow their business—all at no cost.

The cohort members have almost completed the program’s intensive 10-week business accelerator program, received extensive mentoring from business experts, and are now ready to take the stage to make their business pitches to a panel of expert judges from an array of industries.

Competing for seed funding for up to 5 businesses are:

  •             Danielle Byrd, Founder, Long Life Yoga
  •             Tracey Taylor, Owner, The Blend, LLC
  •             Ashley Dolson, Founder, Melanin Skyn Co.
  •             Mohamed Yakub, Owner, Yakub’s Consulting, LLC
  •             Frank Handley, Founder, Handley Holding, LLC
  •             Thomas Preston Page, Owner, The Traphaus
  •             Rhonda Wells, Owner, Buffalo Plant Burger
  •             Elise Cominsky, Owner, Felise Design
  •             Stephanie Peete, Founder, Second Chapter Bookstore
  •             Mubarek Idris Said, Owner, iNRev Cycle
  •             Chanel Rowe, Owner, Caribbean Arts and Culture Foundation
  •             Tesha Parker, Founder, Rooted in Love, Inc.
  •             Lamiah Jabbar, Owner, LoveMeOnsie
  • Anisa Umugwanera, Owner, Welcovery
  • Jacqueline Cherry, Owner, Buffalo Dance and Movement Center

Companies that are part of an IC Success cohort also have additional opportunities to earn seed funding each quarter as their businesses are developed.

“We are so proud of how far this group of entrepreneurs has come over the past 10 weeks,” said Juweria Dahir, who has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs and business owners as BNMC’s Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. “It has been a joy to share in their progress in the IC Success program and we welcome everyone to join us at the Innovation Center for the Competition and graduation ceremony.”

Winners will be announced at a special graduation ceremony on December 14. All are welcome to attend the pitch competition on December 5, 6, and 7. Those wishing to attend can register here. Anyone who would like to attend the graduation ceremony on the 14th can register here.

Twice each year, a cohort comprised of 15 talented Buffalo entrepreneurs begins the IC Success business accelerator program. This program provides classes on all aspects of running a business, including finance, law, accounting, and marketing. In addition, each participant is matched with three mentors who support entrepreneurs throughout the program, and beyond.

IC Success is focused primarily on underrepresented entrepreneurs, and the unique obstacles they face. For example, Black business owners who apply for funding were three times more likely to be rejected by banks than white business owners, according to a report from Goldman Sachs.

“We started this program because there are entrepreneurs all over Buffalo who still don’t feel welcome in the flourishing startup ecosystem here—especially people of color and women, who often face discrimination and other obstacles when building a business,” said Matt Enstice, President of BNMC. “By purposefully integrating networks—and caring for those connections on a long-term basis—we can help communities grow from within, driving the next wave of our region’s economic development.”

IC Success is the latest equity-focused program from BNMC, which has helped drive Buffalo’s economic growth and development for more than 20 years.

Contact:

Adriana Viverette
Digital Marketing Manager

Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. 
Innovation Center at 640 Ellicott St. | Buffalo, NY 14203
C 716.348.4126 | aviverette@bnmc.org

 About Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus  

For more than twenty years, The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus organization (BNMC) has been a driving force in Buffalo’s economic renaissance. Throughout its management of the growth of Buffalo’s premier innovation district, the BNMC has foregrounded smart economic, social, and environmental development, prioritizing health & well-being, and sustainability. Today, the BNMC is focused on the next phase of Buffalo’s ongoing resurgence, cultivating inclusive innovation in partnership with our community, and launching the IC Success (Innovation Community Success) program to support aspiring entrepreneurs from all backgrounds to help them start or grow a business. Program graduates will form the heart of Buffalo’s growing Innovation Community comprised of businesses large and small in an array of disciplines leading the region’s next wave of economic development and growth.   www.bnmc.org

IDEA Center Helps Design BNMC Touch Model to Improve Wayfinding for All

by Maria Morrealein Campus-wide, Innovation Center

BUFFALO NY– The Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental (IDEA) at the University at Buffalo’s School of Architecture and Planning, and Touch Graphics, Inc., collaborated to create a multi-sensory interactive 3D touch model to assist with orientation and wayfinding on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC).

The IDEA Center received a generous gift from the Chur Foundation in January 2021 and used the funds to design, develop, and install the model.

The recently unveiled interactive model is located at the BNMC’s Innovation Center, a home base for campus tours, and a site providing services for over 100 start-up companies and serving as a hub for research and knowledge exchange. The touch model allows users to preview the campus layout, locate buildings, and identify travel routes prior to setting out for their destinations. A user-friendly touch interface that includes visual, auditory, and tactile outputs allows visitors to simply hear or see information related to both the campus and individual buildings.  

All features of the model are touch responsive, including roads, parks, parking lots, and Metro stations. Additional features for accessibility and legibility include braille labels and aerial photographs of building rooftops printed on the 3D buildings.

Jamie Hamann-Burney, Director of Planning and Implementation at BNMC said “We are so grateful to our colleagues at the IDEA Center for bringing this project to us. The model unites a range of technologies being developed at the Center that will speed the creation of more inclusive environments for everyone.” 

The design of the model was developed by first documenting the campus, drawing digital models of the campus’ buildings and landscape, 3D printing the buildings, and laser printing a tactile skin of the landscape. The 3D buildings were treated with a conductive layer and then both tactile skin and the 3D buildings were adhered to the large touch screen. The model works by simple touch commands including tapping once to hear the name of the building and a second time to hear descriptive information. An application was developed to listen to finger touch and provide a corresponding audio description.

“The touch model is an excellent example of how inclusive technology benefits a broad range of users. We’re hoping that this touch model is not only useful for the visitors and staff of the BNMC, but also inspires the thought leaders and tech developers at the Innovation Center to consider the needs of individuals with disabilities in their own work.” Heamchand Subryan, Director of Interaction Design at the IDEA Center.

In addition to the BNMC, similar touch models have been installed at large tech companies, museums, and a national park. The BNMC touch model demonstrates how integrating universal design into wayfinding technology can benefit all visitors and serves as a best practice for similar maps at other medical campuses.


About the IDEA Center

Aside from this project, the IDEA Center, part of the University at Buffalo’s School of Architecture and Planning, is also collaborating with colleagues at the Toronto Rehab Institute/University Health Network and the U. of Pittsburgh on a National Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) on Universal Design in the Built Environment and partnering with Carnegie Mellon University on a five-year RERC project to advance public transportation for people with disabilities. Both initiatives are funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). 

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB’s more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.

About Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus  

For more than twenty years, The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus organization (BNMC) has been a driving force of Buffalo’s economic renaissance. Throughout its management of the growth of Buffalo’s premier innovation district, the BNMC has foregrounded smart economic, social, and environmental development, prioritizing health & well-being and sustainability. Today, the BNMC is focused on the next phase of Buffalo’s ongoing resurgence, cultivating inclusive innovation in partnership with our community. In 2021 BNMC spearheaded the initiative to bring the national programs EforAll and Eforever to Buffalo. These proven programs support aspiring entrepreneurs from all backgrounds to help them start or grow a business. Program graduates will form the heart of Buffalo’s growing Innovation Community comprised of businesses large and small in an array of disciplines and leading the region’s next wave of economic development and growth. BNMC  www.bnmc.org. 

The Innovation District Beer Garden!

by Maria Morrealein Campus-wide, Event, Innovation, Innovation Center

On August 26, BNMC will present a special pop-up event and we invite you to join us. We’ll be transforming the parking lot at 589 Ellicott into an outdoor beer garden and we’ll gather for some food and exceptional brews provided by our friends at Big Ditch. DJ Mr. Illmatic will provide the tunes.
When: Thursday, August 26 from 4:30 to 7 PM.

Where: The Lot at 589 Ellicott.

Space is limited for this free event, so pre-registration will be required.

Stop by and say hi! You can register to join us here.

Join Us for Meditation Mondays in November!

by BNMCin Community, Healthy Communities, Innovation Center

Free, Virtual Meditation Sessions

Every Monday in November Beginning Nov. 2nd from 8:30 – 9:00 a.m. 

The BNMC Healthy Communities team presents Meditation Mondays, a 30-minute live guided meditation each Monday morning from 8:30 – 9:00 am in November. Each week has its own theme to provide focus, purpose, and intention. All participants will receive recordings of each session and an e-book to guide their own meditation practice once the series has concluded. Meditations are being guided by Amiyah King and Jasir Ali, full bios in our Facebook Events page. Register on our Medical Campus Wellness Events Public Facebook Group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/2243130692613771

Download our Meditation Mondays Flyer!

Virtual Networking Event Creates Cross-Border Connections

by BNMCin Community, Entrepreneurs, Innovation, Innovation Center, Networking, Startups

Network with your Cross-Border Colleagues Virtually!

While the safety measures of COVID-19 have reduced international travel, they have not stopped our potential for cross-border collaboration.

About this Event

While the safety measures of COVID-19 have reduced international travel, they have not stopped our potential for cross-border collaboration.

The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, McMaster University Innovation Park and Spark Niagara have come together to facilitate a virtual networking event for startups across the Buffalo, Niagara and Hamilton regions to interact, collaborate and seek opportunities for partnership.

By organizing the group into numerous breakout sessions entrepreneurs will gain a meaningful experience in learning from and collaborating with other startups.

WHEN: Weds., October 21st from 1:30 – 3:00 pm

WHERE: Virtually!

WHO: Startups in Buffalo, Niagara & Hamilton regions.

HOW: Register today for this free, virtual networking event!

 

 

IC Success: Back to School Business Academy Virtual Series Begins Oct. 6th

by BNMCin Business Development, Collaboration, Community, Diversity & Inclusion, Entrepreneurship, Event, Innovation Center, Local businesses, MWBE, Neighborhood Engagement, Small Businesses

IC Success: Back to School Business Academy

This free, eight-week webinar series will help you build and grow your business. Now is the time to invest your time and effort in yourself!

The BNMC’s IC Success: Back to School Business Academy webinar series runs every Tuesday from October 6th – November 24th from 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm via Zoom. See below for the topic each week.

Register now for the entire series.

Zoom links will be shared after registration. We recommend attending all 8 sessions to get the most out of this series.

IC Success is an education series started by the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC) in 2019 as way to create pathways and building blocks for success in the small business community. BNMC is committed to helping all small businesses, including women, minority, and Veteran-owned businesses and enterprises to reach their full potential.

Attend all eight sessions and receive one free month at dig at the Innovation Center, the region’s best co-working space!

October 6th – So You Want to Start a Business – Now What?

20 questions to ask yourself, including: Who is my customer and how can I make them feel valued?; What is my product(s)/service(s)?; and What type of legal structure would be best for me to operate my business?

October 13th – Working through Start-up Costs

To properly understand if this will ultimately be a profitable business, we must do an analysis of all of the costs you will encounter to start and run your business. We will work through those on a provided worksheet. This will ultimately help us to determine what the price should be for your various product(s) and/or service(s).

October 20th – Creating Pricing and Revenue Projections – Will This Company Be Able to Make Money?

We will use provided Excel worksheets to determine fixed costs and variable costs to set a price for your products and services. From there, we can create revenue projections. Also, if the company is profitable, what are some investment options to manage the excess cash flow?

October 27th – Putting It All Together and Creating Pro-forma Financial Statements

We will use our Projected Revenue worksheets created in Excel and our Fixed and Variable cost worksheets to create the major pro-forma financial statements including an income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow projections.

November 3rd – Marketing and Building Parts of the Business Plan

We will create a marketing plan including a definition of your customer and how to make those customers feel valued through customer satisfaction. We will include a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Opportunities, Weaknesses and Threats) for your specific business.

November 10th – Management/Operations/Human Resources, Completing the Business Plan, and Legally Filing Your Business in Erie County

We answer questions such as, “Do I need a license to operate my business,” and “How do I file a business name in Erie County?” And, operationally, “What software packages can help me operate my business?” In addition, we will go over the “Guide to doing Business in Erie County” that is on the Erie County website. We will cover the major laws that you will need to know about if you hire employees, and how to retain and motivate those employees.

November 17th – Local Guest Speakers who have had Business Success

Open questions for entrepreneurs in our area who have already had success! Ask them what you would like to hear about! Perhaps, “How do you manage the life/work balance with this business operation taking up so much of your time.” Ask anything!

November 24th – Panel of Subject Matter Experts, Including CPA, Attorney, Insurance and a Banker

We will cover basics of taxes and the legal structure of your business. And, “Do I need an insurance agent, an attorney and a banker?”

This series will be led by Kerry Collard, MBA, a former banking executive who has taught in the field of Business Administration and Entrepreneurship for over nineteen years at local colleges in the Buffalo area.

The Making of Ognomy: Revolutionizing Sleep Wellness Through Telemedicine

by BNMCin Innovation, Innovation Center

The Making of Ognomy: Revolutionizing Sleep Wellness Through Telemedicine

Check out how the Ognomy – The Sleep Apnea App went from dream to wp-content MVP in 4 months through on-demand talent. The Topcoder team leads this conversation with Dr. Dan Rifkin, visionary behind Ognomy and our very own Sam Marrazzo as they describe the process that covered design thinking workshops, dev sprints, crowd-sourcing, and everything in between to get to this successful outcome.

Watch now!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrPRGpvFt4E&feature=youtu.be

.

 

AR Signage for a Safer Reopening

by BNMCin Innovation, Innovation Center, Technology

AR Signage for a Safer Reopening

The BNMC has recently partnered with Twisted Rope to launch augmented reality (AR) signage in the Innovation Center to communicate safety information more efficiently using the AReveryware wp-content. Download on Google Play or the App Store. This exciting technology uses augmented reality with signage to play videos on smartphones to give employees and visitors important instructions. 

See how it works in this video.

“Until Sam Mazzarro from BNMC contacted us, we had not considered how our augmented reality technology might help in a safety context. BNMC has been a great partner and catalyst. Since that first call, the ideas and uses of the technology as an informational system have been expanding incredibly and it’s led us into additional deployments with public and private companies.” – Greg Norton, President – Twisted Rope

Benefits of SafeReopen

  • Reduce Risk
  • Easy to Use
  • Update Information Remotely
  • Customize Information for Your Facility

If you’re interested in learning more about this technology for your facility or workplace, please reach out to Parrish Gust at parrish.gust@twisted-rope.com.

Case Study: Ognomy – Disrupting Sleep Medicine

by BNMCin Community, Healthy Communities, Innovation, Innovation Center

Innovation-As-A-Service: Ognomy Case Study

Check out how the Ognomy sleep apnea telemedicine wp-content went from dream to wp-content MVP in 4 months through on-demand talent. Read Topcoder’s blog on the process. Watch the Ognomy video.

When Dr. Dan Rifkin had an idea to transform the sleep medicine industry using telemedicine, he knew who to call. His company, Sleep Medicine Centers of WNY was one of the first companies to locate in the Innovation Center nearly 10 years ago, and he has known Matt Enstice, BNMC CEO, for a number of years.

“I reached out to Matt to get his feedback, and he immediately jumped into action,” said Dan Rifkin, M.D., Medical Director of Sleep Medical Centers of WNY. “I wanted to transform my business, and he gave me the tools to do so.”

Matt connected Dan to Sam Marrazzo, BNMC’s Chief Innovation Officer. Sam’s niche is helping companies – any company, regardless of industry – innovate from within.

“Our goal is to connect people with ideas to a quick but thorough process using agile innovation that can create the platform for a solution that minimizes investment and risk in the marketplace,” according to Marrazzo. “We take your domain knowledge and bring connections and ideas to move your initiative along quickly. We use novel methods to solve problems and deliver solutions at a rapid pace, allowing you to prototype prior to building a final product, saving time and money. If the idea is not going to work, we want to fail fast and move along to the next idea. Through this wp-contentroach, we are changing industries by cultivating people and ideas, much like we did with Dan and sleep apnea.”

Marrazzo pulled together an innovation team from across the country, including the International Center for Studies in Creativity at Buffalo State, who helped hone in the idea and its unique business proposition, along with the UB School of Business MIS Department students and professors to help with requirements and overall implementation strategy.

He also engaged BNMC partner Topcoder, an international technology platform connecting companies to top talent. Marrazzo has worked with Topcoder for more than a decade, including bringing 200+ technology superstars to Buffalo in 2017 for its international conference. With the combination of Topcoder, UB, and BNMC’s Innovation team, we were able to develop a solution within budget and timeline that met the needs of Dan’s team.

“Within three months, we went from idea to implementation,” explained Rifkin. “It would have taken me years to get this far on my own. The connections that Sam, Matt and their team made for me are going to disrupt not only my industry, but other health disciplines as well.”

The team developed a telemedicine wp-content that incorporates practice automation and allows diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea to be done via a mobile wp-content—all in the comfort of a patient’s home. Typically, patients need to spend the night in a sleep center, hooked up to monitors in an unfamiliar room and setting. Now, with advances in diagnostic technologies, Rifkin is able to ship the equipment directly to a patient’s home and monitor them in their own environment, increasing access and ease of diagnosis.

Rifkin is now looking at other disciplines that follow similar platforms, such as cardiology, to see how they might benefit from this technology.

 

 

 

Local, State & Federal Resources for Businesses

by BNMCin Campus-wide, Community, Homepage, Innovation Center, News

Resources for Businesses

If you’re like us, you are constantly getting barraged with information – emails, social media, texts, and constant news alerts about the COVID-19 pandemic and the resources available to businesses and individuals. We have started this page as a place for you to find accurate, timely information that can help your business today. Many of our colleagues and partners are doing a great job collecting this information – we are going to link to their resources as opposed to recreating the wheel. Please let us know of resources or information that you think should be added.

Upcoming Webinars

  • In our final IC Success Zooms, Kyria features home schooling tips and resources on Tuesday, May 5th, and grants, loans and business resources on Thursday, May 7th. RSVP for these free community conversations today!

Additional Resources

 

last updated 4.27.20

M&T’s New Tech Startup Makes Business First

by BNMCin Buffalo, Business Development, Innovation Center, Local businesses, News, Startups, Technology

Congratulations to M&T Bank on its feature in Buffalo Business First for the establishment of new tech company Nota! Nota – a digital banking solution — functions like any other fast-growing startup in the Thomas R. Beecher Jr. Innovation Center. The only difference? It was created by one of the region’s largest companies. To read more about M&T’s new tech company, CLICK HERE!
(Pictured: Paul Garibian, who leads M&T’s new tech startup, Nota.)

March Madness Data Metrics – Postponed

by BNMCin Buffalo, Collaboration, Community, Event, Innovation Center, Technology

This event has been postponed, We will make an announcement when it can be rescheduled.
On March 18, 2020, 2:30-4:30 pm, TIBCO will be at the Innovation Center to show YOU how you can accurately predict the winners and losers of the largest basketball tournament of the year with TIBCO’s industry-leading data analytics software. Last year, TIBCO customers had a 98% accuracy rate, and a majority of last year’s attendees actually won their office pools! So come ready to make your predictions, compare your bracket with other attendees, and gain last-minute tips to improve your chances of winning this season!

Oh yeah, did we mention that there’s a FREE HAPPY HOUR too???

Mental Health Matters at BNMC

by BNMCin Buffalo, Campus-wide, Community, Employees, Healthy Communities, Innovation Center, Wellness

On Tuesday February 14th , the BNMC Healthy Workplace Initiative hosted a Mental Health First Aid training for its client companies. There were 22 people in attendance from 11 companies, including Walsh Duffield, United Way of Buffalo and Erie County, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Lawley, and Pegula Sports Entertainment.
This nationally recognized training was provided locally by Compeer Buffalo, a non-profit that takes a friendship wp-contentroach to Mental Health. Its model is nationally recognized and has been awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as well as the American Psychiatric Association.

Mental Health First Aid training aims to educate the public on how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders. Upon completion of the training, participants received a certificate, identifying them as Mental Health First Aiders, equipped with the skills needed to reach out, offer help, and support someone who may be experiencing a crisis. Participants also walk away with a simple 5-step action plan in hand to help a colleague, loved one, or neighbor in dealing with a crisis until professional treatment is obtained.

Mental health is the most frequently requested topic among companies in the Healthy Workplace Initiative, and it is unfortunate the depth of local data available that supports this trend. According to the Economic Impact of Poor Health on Our WNY Community, depression alone is 19% prevalent in the Buffalo-Niagara region and costs our local workforce $170 million per year in medical spending and $415.7 million productivity losses each year. These data, combined with the existing stigma surrounding mental health, demonstrate the immediate need for further action to address the well-being of our region. BNMC hosted this training to not only improve mental health literacy among the local workforce, but to also empower collective urgency in combating mental health stigma through harnessing a proactive wp-contentroach.

In addition to being highly informative and educational on a variety of mental health challenges, the training featured a series of interactive activities to further reinforce course content. One of the most impactful activities involved comparing various mental health challenges with physical health illnesses. Based on a study by the World Health Organization, the rankings demonstrated how mental health challenges can be equally or even more compromising to activities of daily life as physical health challenges, such as vision loss.

Thank you to Walsh Duffield for sponsoring the event!

For more information on Mental Health First Aid Training, please visit http://www.compeerbuffalo.org/mhfa/

Hotlines in Crisis

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK

National Crisis Text Line Text HOME to 741741

24-Hour Suicide Prevention Hotline for Erie County 716-834-3131

IC Success to Kickoff 2020 Cohort

by BNMCin Buffalo, Business Development, Community, Diversity & Inclusion, Entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurship, Event, Innovation Center, Local businesses, MWBE, Networking

Are you an entrepreneur or business professional who needs to grow their network but have trouble starting a conversation with new people? Do you like to play Uno? If you said yes to either of these, join us at our IC Success 2020 Kickoff! This event will be held March 11, 2020 at 6:00 pm in dig @ the Innovation Center (640 Ellicott St Buffalo, NY 14203). The first session of IC Success 2020 – Turning Passion in to Profit – will run March 17-April 7, 2020 with Power 93.7 WBLK’s ADRI.V the Go Getta facilitating. For more information, or to register for the networking event, please visit www.bnmc-connect.eventbrite.com.

Beakers is Back!

by BNMCin Buffalo, Campus-wide, Community, Event, Innovation Center, Networking

Hello Buffalo! Beakers & Beer is back and better than ever! Join us every 3rd Thursday of the month, February through May 2020, for BNMC’s signature networking event. Featuring food, booze and making great connections, we are sure that you’ll not only have a great time but also leave with an expanded network (which ultimately expands your net worth)! This series of Beakers & Beer will take place on February 20th, March 19th, April 16th, and May 21st. They all will take place in dig @ the Innovation Center (640 Ellicott Street, 14203) except for April’s, which will be hosted by Big Ditch Brewing Company (55 E. Huron Street, 14203). A very huge shout out goes to Beakers & Beer beverage sponsor Big Ditch Brewing Company! For more information, or to register for Beakers & Beer, please visit our Events page at www.bnmc-old.local/events. We can’t wait to see you there!

IC Success Series Rewind

by BNMCin Buffalo, Business Development, Entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Innovation Center, Local businesses, MWBE, Networking, Startups

IC Success Series Rewind

 

The BNMC is proud to have launched our first IC Success series at the Innovation Center, a 6-week curriculum featuring two separate tracks on digital media marketing and financial literacy and credit building. These workshops were facilitated by all minority & women owned small businesses, and designed to inspire creativity, leadership and entrepreneurial thinking in an inclusive, welcoming environment. Stay tuned for brand new IC Success classes coming soon!

BNMC to Host Annual Last Minute Holiday Market on December 19

by BNMCin BNMC Team, Buffalo, Community, Employees, Event, Innovation, Innovation Center, MWBE, Neighborhood Engagement, Neighbors, Networking, Small Businesses, Startups

Join us for our annual Last Minute Holiday Market

on December 19th!

WHAT

‘Tis the season to buy local! Stop by our annual holiday market to pick out unique gifts for your friends and family. Interested in tabling at this event? Vendors must register by December 16th at ICgiftmarket.eventbrite.com.

WHERE

dig at the Innovation Center, 640 Ellicott St., 1st floor

WHEN

December 19th from 11:30am-1:30pm

DETAILS

All participating vendors are locally owned-small businesses. We will have lunch available for purchase from our Collision Cafe vendors, including Lime House, R&R BBQ and Green Eats Kitchen.

 

 

 

Your Innovation Center Presents: IC Success!

by BNMCin BNMC Team, Buffalo, Community, Education, Innovation, Innovation Center, Local businesses, MWBE, Neighborhood Engagement, Networking, Small Businesses, Startups

Your Innovation Center Presents: IC Success!

These NEW workshops are facilitated by minority & women owned small businesses, and designed to inspire creativity, leadership and entrepreneurial thinking in an inclusive, welcoming environment.

FREE childcare will be provided by ABC Learn & Play from 6:15-8:15pm for every session!

Registration is required via the links below.

Digital Media Marketing with Crews Control Media 

Tuesdays from 6:30-8pm  | October 15th-November 19th
Register

Financial Literacy & Credit Building with Clarity Credit Repair

Thursdays from 6:30-8pm | October 17th-November 21st
Register

Details:

Refreshments provided for attendees.

Plenty of on-street parking is available outside the Innovation Center, as well as in the parking lot across the street. We are also a short walk from the Allen/Medical Campus NFTA station and along several bus routes.

BNMC’s Innovation Center Buzzes with Activity!

by BNMCin BNMC Team, Buffalo, Collaboration, Community, Entrepreneurs, Innovation, Innovation Center

BNMC’s Innovation Center Buzzes with Activity!

This summer at BNMC’s Innovation Center was jam packed with events, programming, and new companies from all over the country and world who joined our growing community! The BNMC team made sure that there was no shortage of networking and collaboration opportunities hosted throughout the building and around Campus. These complimentary programs are just a small part of what we offer to our tenants, partners, and surrounding communities at the Innovation Center. Here are a some of highlights from the summer of 2019 on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus:

New Companies Join the IC Community! 

In the last few months, we welcomed several new companies to the Innovation Center with a number of exciting announcements coming soon! We’re honored to be the new home for remote workers for tech giants, not-for-profits, entrepreneurs, creatives, and international companies landing in Buffalo from the UK, Brazil, and Canada. New companies to our IC community include: SparkOrange + Salesforce, DigitalOcean, The Avenue Code, and Hustle Athletics.

Startup Grind with Glenn Jackson of M&T Bank

On July 24th, the BNMC welcomed Glenn Jackson, Chief Diversity Officer at M&T Bank to the IC as our featured guest at Startup Grind Buffalo. Startup Grind, the world’s largest network of entrepreneurs, is hosted monthly at the IC and features networking opportunities and a fireside chat with a special guest. Glenn and I sat down to talk about technology, inclusivity, the future of tech in Buffalo, and what it really means to be a CDO. The conversation was riveting, the networking was unmatched, and the attendance was phenomenal. All of this adds up to make for one fantastic summer event at the Innovation Center!

Startup Grind with Brett Mikoll and Dave Horesh

Our second Startup Grind of the summer featured Oxford Pennant co-founders, Brett Mikoll and Dave Horesh. Oxford Pennant is one of Buffalo’s most exciting and fastest growing brands. This time, I sat down with both Brett and Dave to talk about building a brand through social media, effectively working with giant brands as a startup, managing an overwhelming amount of orders, and the true meaning of collaboration. The community left the Innovation Center that night charged up and ready to take on the world just like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who actually has an Oxford Pennant in every one of his gyms around the world!
 

Small Business Summer School

For upwards of 75 small businesses in Buffalo, Small Business Summer School was in session! Ignite Buffalo, UB CEL, and the BNMC teamed up to offer a complimentary 8-week small business curriculum targeted at covering the most important topics needed to start or run a company. This program attracted small businesses and entrepreneurs from all over WNY. The 8 weeks were cwp-contented off with a top notch graduation ceremony, complete with graduation caps, diplomas, and awards for perfect attendance!
 

Breakfast Blend

The BNMC team hosted three Breakfast Blend events at the IC this summer. Breakfast Blend, in my opinion, is the place to see and be seen! This event offers an amazing breakfast spread, unlimited coffee, updates from companies from within the IC, lots of great news from the community, and a chance to get to know other entrepreneurs and innovators. This is a perfect event to keep a temperature on who is in the building and what they are working on. We are looking forward to the Buffalo Bills themed Breakfast Blend in October!

BNMC’s Innovation Center Buzzes with Activity!

by BNMCin BNMC Team, Buffalo, Collaboration, Community, Entrepreneurs, Innovation, Innovation Center

BNMC’s Innovation Center Buzzes with Activity!

This summer at BNMC’s Innovation Center was jam packed with events, programming, and new companies from all over the country and world who joined our growing community! The BNMC team made sure that there was no shortage of networking and collaboration opportunities hosted throughout the building and around Campus. These complimentary programs are just a small part of what we offer to our tenants, partners, and surrounding communities at the Innovation Center. Here are a some of highlights from the summer of 2019 on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus:

New Companies Join the IC Community! 

In the last few months, we welcomed several new companies to the Innovation Center with a number of exciting announcements coming soon! We’re honored to be the new home for remote workers for tech giants, not-for-profits, entrepreneurs, creatives, and international companies landing in Buffalo from the UK, Brazil, and Canada. New companies to our IC community include: SparkOrange + Salesforce, DigitalOcean, The Avenue Code, and Hustle Athletics.

Startup Grind with Glenn Jackson of M&T Bank

On July 24th, the BNMC welcomed Glenn Jackson, Chief Diversity Officer at M&T Bank to the IC as our featured guest at Startup Grind Buffalo. Startup Grind, the world’s largest network of entrepreneurs, is hosted monthly at the IC and features networking opportunities and a fireside chat with a special guest. Glenn and I sat down to talk about technology, inclusivity, the future of tech in Buffalo, and what it really means to be a CDO. The conversation was riveting, the networking was unmatched, and the attendance was phenomenal. All of this adds up to make for one fantastic summer event at the Innovation Center!

Startup Grind with Brett Mikoll and Dave Horesh

Our second Startup Grind of the summer featured Oxford Pennant co-founders, Brett Mikoll and Dave Horesh. Oxford Pennant is one of Buffalo’s most exciting and fastest growing brands. This time, I sat down with both Brett and Dave to talk about building a brand through social media, effectively working with giant brands as a startup, managing an overwhelming amount of orders, and the true meaning of collaboration. The community left the Innovation Center that night charged up and ready to take on the world just like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who actually has an Oxford Pennant in every one of his gyms around the world!
 

Small Business Summer School

For upwards of 75 small businesses in Buffalo, Small Business Summer School was in session! Ignite Buffalo, UB CEL, and the BNMC teamed up to offer a complimentary 8-week small business curriculum targeted at covering the most important topics needed to start or run a company. This program attracted small businesses and entrepreneurs from all over WNY. The 8 weeks were cwp-contented off with a top notch graduation ceremony, complete with graduation caps, diplomas, and awards for perfect attendance!
 

Breakfast Blend

The BNMC team hosted three Breakfast Blend events at the IC this summer. Breakfast Blend, in my opinion, is the place to see and be seen! This event offers an amazing breakfast spread, unlimited coffee, updates from companies from within the IC, lots of great news from the community, and a chance to get to know other entrepreneurs and innovators. This is a perfect event to keep a temperature on who is in the building and what they are working on. We are looking forward to the Buffalo Bills themed Breakfast Blend in October!

How is your organization is going to attract the best and brightest talent?

by BNMCin BNMC Team, Innovation, Innovation Center, Technology

Enterprisetechsuccess Magazine

How is your organization going to attract the best and brightest talent?

The race for talent today means that corporations will have to use novel methods to attract new talent. From sponsoring technology schools to hiring experienced expat knowledge workers to return back home so they can retool their organizations. Firms will begin to retool their legacy office spaces and hire architecture firms to create a new vibe allowing for more creativity that will attract and retain talent. Firms will begin to rebrand their organizations to be a cool and unique organization that uses the latest and greatest in culture, healthy living and a focus on the employee wants and needs.  New roles like Ambassador of Buzz and Chief Curator establish a vibe to attract talent from Bay Area tech firms. Corporations will begin to reduce their dependence on off-shore tech companies and consulting firms and move forward to build in-house innovation departments. Corporations will need to increase corporate spending on retraining of mature employee.

So what are some of the steps to help retain and provide your employees a place to separate time and space to innovate?

The first steps needed within an organization prior to beginning your innovation journey is to examine your own team’s innovation readiness.  Some of the best ideas come from your own team members. Many of your own team members with years of domain experience can produce a constant pipeline of ideas that can help your organization disrupt your industry. Your organization also has team members that may not be ready to share their insights due to a legacy corporate culture that does not enable a safe and open and honest conversation to inspire an innovative culture. Building an innovation culture is the first step prior to acquiring an idea management software like Spigit or Ideator. You must consider your organization’s innovation culture. Organizations are prematurely acquiring these types of software to help collect ideas from their own organizations without examining their own team innovation maturity.

Before I explain what an innovation culture is, I should discuss the current state of the public or privately held corporation, colleges / universities and how students are opting out of traditional employment in corporations. Universities and colleges are producing prospective students for corporations. Many of these students are selecting other opportunities like the start-up market that is fast paced, risk filled and, in a fail fast culture. Other reasons are that banks, hospitals, and insurance companies are not attracting the talent needed to backfill retiring employees due to existing legacy technologies stacks and stodgy leadership teams with attitudes that cannot relate to the students’ needs. These needs include latest technologies, flexible work schedules, health and wellness, relaxed dress codes, diverse workforce   and a support system that allows for a culture that helps the community.

The lack of progressive corporate leadership styles are souring many talented prospects from entering the corporate job market. The same legacy corporations that are souring prospective talent have a great deal of influence on the universities and colleges to shape the curriculum to become more creative and innovative. Due to the focus on maintaining the status quo within a firm and the tenure within the firm they take years to make a course correction. When a “Hippo” 1 (highest paid person’s opinion) makes the decisions within an organization the innovation and the culture offer suffers.   The paradox in all of this is that students that graduated 20 years ago from the very universities that were innovative at the time have become so conservative that they have created a culture of status quo to keep the machine running, vs a culture of innovation.

In many corporations the execution of projects is the focus of many of the activities from upgrading business systems to building new production plants, projects are a primary activity within the company.  Corporate projects fall into a few categories: revenue, operations, and compliance, and are run by a project management office or project manager.  A focus on quality, time, and cost ensures when projects are completed. With all the focus on project execution, there is little time for innovation and employees are not taught to think creatively. We are taught to execute on projects and not to fail or rapid learning culture. Business schools teach management principles that were developed in the later industrial revolution to solve the large-company management problem–not the innovation problem 2.  Corporations focused on project execution and maintaining the status quo can overlook talent that comes nontraditional degrees like art, English and history and focused on a traditional employee from accounting, finance, and engineering.  This could be why organizations need to unlearn from the traditional organizational wp-contentroaches and learn how to inspire and mentor talent and begin to build a brand around innovation. Innovation as a culture is an wp-contentroach that needs to be developed from the middle up and top down with total support form executive leadership.  The innovation culture enables teams to fail, create, learn and are giving employees an opportunity to talk freely in a safe environment. What a safety environment provides your employees is a safety net to ask why to anyone in your organization or to experiment on a new business model with support.

The innovation journey doesn’t start with deploying mega trends like AR/VR, deep learning or blockchain, it is about changing the organization’s culture that supports their careers by supporting a separation in time a space to allow innovation of ideas and concepts. Meaning separation of time and space allows employees to leave the organization to fulfill outside interests helping the journey to an innovative culture. Along with understanding your team’s current leadership state of mind, your teams need to be evaluated to determine their ability to innovate. If team members are not motivated or are prepared to help, you will need to provide the tools to unlearn their team style to effectively change the culture. If they cannot or are not willing to change they need to be managed out of the organization.

The organization that changes the scenery and believe that have made a cool space with high end coffee and cool seating arrangements will not move the needle. The organization must challenge employees with work that is inspiring by reducing emails and meetings and exposing employees to work that is stimulating and exciting.

Medical Campus Drives Private Sector Growth

by BNMCin Buffalo, Campus-wide, Employees, Entrepreneurs, Health care, Infrastructure, Innovation, Innovation Center, Local businesses, Technology

Companies on the Medical Campus

The Medical Campus is a dynamic consortium of world-class hospitals and health care facilities, exceptional education institutions, and innovative research institutions. Made up of 8 member institutions, the Medical Campus is home to hundreds of renowned physicians, clinicians, scientists, and researchers in oncology, neurology, immunology, vascular surgery, personalized medicine, cardiology, and beyond. The collaboration among our institutions combined with the significant research and clinical capabilities offered on the Medical Campus has led to the creation or co-location of more than 150 public and private companies including a dynamic and growing cluster of technology, life sciences, bioinformatics, energy, and social innovation companies, and not-for-profit organizations. View companies located on the Medical Campus below.

Member Institutions & Partner Organizations Located on BNMC

  • Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc.
  • Buffalo Medical Group
  • Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center
  • Buffalo Manufacturing Works
  • Hauptman-Woodward Institute
  • Kaleida Health – Buffalo General Medical Center, Gates Vascular Institute, HighPointe, Oishei Children’s Hospital
  • Kevin Guest House
  • Jacobs Institute
  • Olmsted Center for Sight
  • Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • St. Jude Center
  • University at Buffalo – Center for Biomedicine and Life Sciences; Center for Computation Research; Center for Material Informatics; Clinical & Translational Research Center; Educational Opportunity Center; Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; Research Institute on Addictions; Ross Eye Institute
  • ZeptoMetrix

*For restaurants & other food options, visit www.bnmc-old.local/food

Innovation Center

  • 43North
  • 81 Eighteen
  • 911 Flex
  • Acara Solutions
  • ACV Auctions
  • AirExpert
  • All Pro Parking
  • Alliance for the Great Lakes
  • Apena Care Inc

    • Assisted Living Consultants, Inc.

    • Block Chain Resources Group LLC
    • Bozer
    • Boxcraft Studio
    • Brien’s Business Umbrella
    • Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc.
    • Buffalo Niagara Sleep Center
    • Buffalo Perspective
    • CAI Gobal/Hope Buffalo
    • Canadian Consulate in NY
    • Capital Insights Group of WNY
    • Cheiron
    • Connare Tech, Inc
    • Crews Group
    • Debitrum
    • EB-5 New York State LLC
    • Everon Biosciences
    • Explora Connections
    • Forsake
    • Genome Protection
    • Girls Education Collaborative
    • Glide Health IT, Inc
    • Global Dyamic Group
    • GoBike Buffalo
    • Guideline Medical
    • HiOperator
    • Huntview
    • Immersed Games
    • Inside Insight LLC
    • Jeca Energy Bar
    • JMS Technical Solutions
    • Kangarootime
    • Kermis Profitability Solutions
    • Koobusoft
    • Lena Levine Studio
    • LenderLogix
    • Let There be Light International
    • Lincoln Archives Family of Companies
    • Lindquist
    • MED VAR
    • Med-Scribe Inc
    • Memory Fox
    • New York Technology
    • Niagara Share
    • OncoTartis
    • Parson Group
    • Produce Peddlers
    • Peeva LLC
    • PurEndo
    • Queen City Risk Management
    • Quidni Labs
    • Rel8ed.to Analytics
    • Robb Surgical
    • Rodriguez Construction Group
    • Secureware Technologies
    • Shared Mobility, Inc
    • SNAPCAP of WNY
    • SparkCharge
    • Squire
    • Suite It
    • Suncayr
    • Talking Pictues/ Randford
    • TARA. Ai
    • Tartis
    • Tarvos.io
    • Toca Travel Services
    • TrainSmart
    • Travel Healthcare Accrediation
    • TROVE
    • Vargas Associates, Inc.
    • Wesolowski & Associates PC
    • Western NY Environmental Alliance
    • White Buffalo Creative
    • WNY Works Staffing Placement
    • Wynne Creative Group
    • Your Corporate Agent/ Vonsway
    • Z80 Labs
    • Zany Nomad
    • Zwp-contentos

BioSciences Incubator at the CTRC

  • AccuTheranostics
  • NeuroTrauma Sciences
  • Neurovascular Diagnostics

UB Gateway

  • 3AM Innovations
  • Buffalo Employment & Training Center
  • Burner
  • Clean Capital, LLC
  • CleanFiber
  • Clearview Social
  • Decision Pace Inc.
  • Erie Niagara Health Education Center (AHEC)
  • Femi Secrets
  • Garwood Medical
  • Helm
  • Ignition Life Solutions
  • Kickfurther
  • Launch NY
  • LegWorks
  • Magnusmode
  • Quantranalytic Corporation
  • Sedara, LLC
  • Silo City IT, Inc.
  • SomaDetect
  • UB Associates, Inc. (UBF) – UBMD
  • UB Emergency Medicine
  • UB Family Medicine (UBF)

73 High Street

  • 22nd Century
  • Buffalo BioLabs
  • Buffalo Molecular Design & Development
  • CH3 Biosystems
  • Cleveland BioLabs
  • CPL Associates
  • Photolitec
  • Robb Surgical
  • Tactiva Therapeutics

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

  • Global Biotechnology & Cancer Therapeutics
  • MimiVax
  • Panacela Labs

Hauptman-Woodward Institute

  • HarkerBIO
  • OmniSeq
  • American Crystallography Association

Conventus at 1001 Main Street

  • Athenex
  • AMRI
  • KeyBank
  • UBMD Offices
  • Oishei Children’s Outpatient Clinic

UB’s NYS Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences

  • Acudex, Inc.
  • Aesku NY, Inc
  • AHRM, Inc.
  • AMI Oncotheranostics, LLC
  • Athenex, Inc.
  • Canget BioTekpharma, LLC
  • CH3 Biosystems, LLC
  • Chronicle Life Sci America Corp
  • Efferent Labs, Inc.
  • Enhanced Pharmacodynamics, LLC
  • Frontier Science & Technology Res Foundation, Inc.
  • Greenwich Geriatrics, LLC (dba Patient Pattern, LLC)
  • Qoma, LLC
  • Aigh StarPro, LLC
  • Sunstar, Inc.
  • Tactiva Theraputics, LLC
  • Veronomics
  • Zeptometrix, Corp.

Olmsted Center for Sight

  • Clean Slate
  • Last updated Feb 2018

RSVP Today for BNMC’s 4th Annual Student Open House!

by BNMCin Campus-wide, Innovation, Innovation Center, Students, Youth And Education

RSVP Today for Our 4th Annual Student Open House!

WHEN

Saturday, April 21, 2018
9am-12pm

REGISTER by April 11. Download event flyer.

WHO

7th-12th graders accompanied by an adult.

WHERE

Start your exploration of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus by registering and picking up your program in the Innovation Center lobby, 640 Ellicott St. Free parking is available across the street.

WHAT

This free, half-day event invites students in 7-12th grade, along with an accompanying adult, to tour state-of-the-art Campus facilities and experience hands-on STEM activities at each site.

Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from experts at Buffalo Manufacturing Works, Hauptman-Woodward Institute, the Jacobs Institute, Oishei Children’s Hospital, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, UB Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, UB NYS Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, and Unyts. 

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS 

  • Test drive the Robotic Surgery Simulator
  • See an active research laboratory
  • Try on a pair of Cinemavision googles
  • See where more than 50 simulation scenarios take place
  • Watch a pre-recorded surgery
  • Learn about crystals and how they are formed and used to study diseases
  • See robotic demonstrations and 3D printers in action
  • Try your skills at bio-art
  • Take a turn as a virtual welder
    And much more!