How to Start a Business in Buffalo – Startup Weekend

Starting a business is no easy feat and probably even harder to do in Buffalo, NY. If you’re crazy motivated enough for the latter, the good news is, someone’s got your back.

Buffalo Startup Weekend is aimed at anyone who has an idea but doesn’t know how to get it off the ground. You don’t even have to be a technical person as Elizabeth Weinberg, an attendee of the first Startup Weekend last year, explains in her blog post.

Weinberg hesitated on going at first, thinking that her skills weren’t the right fit. She soon found out that what really mattered was her idea, which made the final cut and a team was formed that paired her with “a designer, two programmers and another non-techie.”

Startup Weekend shows that just like in the success of a real business, everyone plays a role.

About Buffalo Startup Weekend

Startup Weekend is a non-profit organization headquartered in Seattle with funding from the Kauffman Foundation, a group focused on education and entrepreneurship. The Startup Weekend event is hosted in cities around the world with their own local speakers, judges, mentors, and organizers.

The Buffalo chapter is entering it’s second year with another 54 hour crash course in entrepreneurism from Friday, March 1st to Sunday, March 3rd at Medaille College.

Here’s how it works:

All Startup Weekend events follow the same basic model: anyone is welcome to pitch their startup idea and receive feedback from their peers. Teams organically form around the top ideas (as determined by popular vote) and then it’s a 54 hour frenzy of business model creation, coding, designing, and market validation. The weekends culminate with presentations in front of local entrepreneurial leaders with another opportunity for critical feedback.

Registration, FAQ

Registration is limited, costs $50 per person or $25 for students, and meals are included. There’s more than one way to get involved – the event encourages a range of skill-sets. Click here to signup as a:

Coder/Developer/Engineer
Designer/UX/UI/Illustrator
Non-Tech/Marketing/Business

Additional Startup Weekend Resources

Entrepreneur Advice from VoIP Supply CEO

Ben Sayers, CEO of VoIP Supply, is a serial entrepreneur who knows what it takes to do business in WNY. Read the Benjamin Sayers Blog to learn more about Sayers’ experiences as an entrepreneur and CEO.

Additionally, if you’re up for the entrepreneurial challenge you can contact Sayers through Sayers Technology Holdings whose purpose is to “provide a place of uncovering, teaching and developing leaders” with the goal increasing the new business start-up success rate by 10%.

Nathan Miloszewski

Nate is VoIP Supply's former Content Marketing Manager.