Buffalo Bills legend Eric Wood took the stage on draft day to honor Buffalo-rooted startups that are raising money, creating jobs and zooming toward exits.
Series B[uffalo] was proud to host the first-ever Buffalo Startup Draft this Thursday, bringing Buffalo Startup Week to an exciting conclusion.
The draftees were chosen by Buffalo Bills legend and color commentator Eric Wood, who delivered the Buffalo Startup Week keynote address.
The Buffalo Startup Draft is a fun way to honor local companies that are raising funds, building teams and accomplishing great things in Buffalo.
The draftees include:
Food Nerd
The Buffalo-based company makes healthy snacks for babies and toddlers free of ultraprocessed ingredients. Food Nerd closed on $7.5 million earlier this year, recently moved into a 28,000-square-foot factory and is entering retail environments across the country.
Food Nerd was founded in 2017 by CEO Sharon Cryan, and her financial supporters include Joseph Neiman, cofounder and former CEO of ACV Auctions, and S2 Ventures, the investor syndicate led by Ron Faso and John Baldo.
Twipes
Twipes is a biomaterials startup that makes eco-friendly, flushable wipes. The company moved its headquarters to Buffalo in 2023, and has spent the past few years focusing its target direct-to-consumer sales channel. This focus paid off as Twipes crossed the $1 million revenue mark in 2025 and is projected to nearly double that this year.
Led by cofounders Alborz Bozorge and Ellenor McIntosh, Twipes now has five fulltime employees in Buffalo and is raising funds to bring its full manufacturing operations to Western New York.
Vicora
Viciora is a medical devices company that has developed an innovative, vibrating catheter that does a more effective job of breaking up blood clots than existing catheters. It is a portfolio company of Buffalo-based Egret Healthcare Ventures and received early support from the University at Buffalo and Jacobs Institute.
Last year, Vicora raised $3.6 million to prepare it to enter the regulatory pathway, complete clinical trials and enter the market. The company is led by CEO Shawn Patterson and rooted on Northland Avenue on Buffalo’s East Side, part of an emerging medical devices corridor that includes The Rookery and Ampullae.
PhysicianX
PhysicianX was founded in 2023 to help physicians find the right career opportunities, navigate contract negotiations and advance their careers with AI-powered tools and expert guidance.
Based out of UB’s Incubator @ CBLS facility on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, the company raised $1.3 million in 2025 and is now growing 18% per month.
Arbol
Cofounded in 2021 by David Gonzalez and Favio Osorio, Arbol is introducing a new way for colleges to deliver financial wellness. Their AI-powered platform gives students personanlized financial pathways, leading to clarity, confidence and better retention rates.
Arbol recently closed two exciting customers, Marquette University and the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, and now has significant customer networks spanning SUNY, UNC, private Jesuit Colleges and more.
wellconnected
wellconnected is bringing a collaborative, data-based model to the social care industry. The company implemented a revolutionary Community Information Exchange in Chicago, bringing social care data and records into a medical setting, giving doctors the information they need to treat community members.
wellconnected company now has 7 fulltime employees in downtown Buffalo, doubled its revenue last year and expects to do so again this year.
Edenesque
A plant-based dairy company that moved from New York City to Buffalo in 2024, Edeneaque raised money last year from investors that include Launch NY and the University at Buffalo.
Edenesque has posted significant growth with retail partners such as Whole Foods, Tops and boutiques in New York City, along with direct-to-consumer sales online. Edenesque sales traction puts it on the pathway to profitability by early 2027.
Qas AI
University at Buffalo spinout QAS AI is led by Chip Ionita, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering and neurosurgery. The company’s platform gives neurosurgeons something they’ve never had before: real-time AI that can predict, mid-procedure, whether a patient’s brain treatment is on track to succeed.
Qas was recently recognized by Johnson & Johnson as an AIFund for Surgery award winner, providing important validation along with funding, expert mentorship and access to computing tools to support the development of their technology.
Pop Biotechnologies
Pop Biotechnologies is a biotechnology startup based in Buffalo led by cofounders Jonathan Smyth and Jonathan Lovell. The former Panasci winner is based at the University at Buffalo’s Baird Research Park, and was awarded a $2.46 million federal grant in 2025 to advance the development of a vaccine against Alzheimer’s disease, which it is pursuing with commercialization partner EuBiologics.
Guidesly
Guidesly moved from Boston to Buffalo after earning a $1 million investment from 43North in 2023, and last year closed a $9.5 million Series A funding round. Guidesly now has a growing team working out of its headquarters at Seneca One Tower, as its product suite has grown into a vertical AI SaaS platform serving the entire outdoor recreation industry.
Through Guidesly, outdoor professionals gain a business solution that powers every part of their operation from a single system.
HelixIntel
HelixIntel is an AI software startup that gives insurance companies critical insight into risk before claims are filed. With more than 30 employees, a chic Larkinville headquarters and a growing list of customers that include some of the biggest names in insurance, HelixIntel is going through a significant growth spurt.
