Investment will expand access to paid, real-world work experiences as part of a broader effort to build Buffalo’s talent pipeline.
Via a 43North Foundation news release...
The 43North Foundation is excited to announce a $1.5 million commitment to Golisano Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship to expand paid internship opportunities for students at Buffalo companies and non-profits.
The investment will establish an internship fund supporting more than 65,000 labor hours over five years, helping Golisano Institute students access paid opportunities with companies and non-profits throughout Western New York. The 43North Foundation believes Golisano’s emphasis on experiential learning will play a key role in the Western New York talent transformation.
“The Buffalo business community has been absolutely amazing in supporting a complete Western New York vision for the Institute,” said Ian Mortimer, president of Golisano Institute. “Buffalo and Rochester should be one marketplace, one employment market, and an inspirational vision for all Western New Yorkers. This vote of support by the 43North Foundation surely jumpstarts this unified vision. Thank you so much to the entire 43North Foundation board for their positive energy and support.”
The commitment was announced Wednesday during the official opening of Golisano Institute’s new Buffalo campus in the former Buffalo News building on Washington Street. Entrepreneur and philanthropist Tom Golisano founded Golisano Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship in Rochester in 2023 around the idea that people should have a faster, more affordable path to the skills, experiences and relationships needed to build successful careers in business.
The Buffalo Campus Center welcomed its first cohort of students last week and offers a two-year Business & Entrepreneurship certificate program, as well as a one-year Advanced Certificate in AI & Business. In total, more than 250 students are enrolled across the two Campus Centers. This investment will be made available to students at both the Buffalo and Rochester Campus Centers.
The 43North Foundation investment deepens a growing relationship among the Foundation, its talent affiliate TechBuffalo and Golisano Institute.
Over the past year, the organizations have worked together to build new pathways connecting students directly with major employers in Buffalo. That includes an employer-designed pathway with Odoo and, more recently, a collaboration with Ingram Micro that gives Golisano Institute students access to mentorship, work-based learning and potential career opportunities at one of Western New York’s largest technology employers.
The new internship fund takes that work another step forward by helping ensure that students can participate in meaningful work experiences as part of their education.
For the 43North Foundation, the investment reflects a broader belief that Buffalo’s ability to grow its economy will depend in part on its ability to develop, retain and connect talented people to opportunity.
“Some of the most important experiences in my own career happened early, when I had the opportunity to get inside a business, learn from people who had already built something and begin understanding what it took to succeed,” said William Maggio, 43North Foundation board chair. “Internships can change the trajectory of a young person’s life. This investment is about making sure more students have that opportunity right here in Buffalo.”
Talent development is one of the Foundation’s core economic development strategies. TechBuffalo formally became a 43North Foundation affiliate in August, bringing its programs more closely into the Foundation’s work to create the conditions for significant private-sector growth in Buffalo.
TechBuffalo is increasingly focused on building direct pathways between education and employment: working with employers to understand the skills they need, partnering with educators and training organizations to develop those skills and creating clearer routes into jobs.
“Golisano Institute is building exactly the kind of bridge we need between education and the opportunities that exist in our business community,” said Ron Schreiber, a 43North Foundation board member working closely with TechBuffalo. “This investment allows us to strengthen that model by giving more students meaningful experience inside Western New York companies, while giving those companies an opportunity to identify and develop their next generation of talent.”
The investment comes as the 43North Foundation enters a new phase of its broader economic development strategy.
The Foundation has committed to investing $100 million in Buffalo over 10 years and recently established a goal of generating $5 billion in regional economic impact through company growth, job creation and major private-sector investment.
Its strategy is built around four interconnected areas that the Foundation believes are common to successful entrepreneurial economies: a consistent engine for innovation and commercialization, a high-caliber talent pipeline, an engaged corporate community and a strong sense of belief around what is possible.
Those strategies are now operating through Radial Ventures, which is creating and launching new technology companies rooted in Buffalo; TechBuffalo, which is developing talent and pathways into high-growth careers; the 43North Ambassador Network, which is connecting established businesses with Buffalo’s entrepreneurial economy; and Series B, which is building a larger audience around the companies and people driving the region forward.
The goal is to create the conditions for more companies to start, scale and stay in Buffalo; for major employers to invest and grow here; and for the region to have the workforce necessary to support that growth.
The Foundation’s $1.5 million commitment to Golisano Institute represents one piece of that larger strategy: connecting promising young people with education, experience and employers at the beginning of their careers, while building a deeper pool of talent for Buffalo’s economy.
Jeffrey Botteron, president and CEO of TechBuffalo, said: “The strongest talent systems understand what employers need, give students the skills and experiences to meet that need and create a clear pathway between the two. We’re building those connections with Golisano Institute and employers across Buffalo, and this investment gives us the ability to put many more students into the kinds of real-world experiences that can launch a career.”
43North Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization focused on accelerating economic growth in Buffalo through entrepreneurship and technology. Backed by a $100 million commitment over 10 years, the Foundation is pursuing a $5 billion regional economic impact goal through four interconnected strategies focused on venture creation, talent, corporate engagement and storytelling.
Golisano Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship was founded by entrepreneur and philanthropist Tom Golisano to provide students with an accelerated, affordable and experiential approach to business education. The Institute launched in Rochester and opened its Buffalo campus in the former Buffalo News building in 2026. Its programs include an accelerated two-year business education and a one-year Advanced Certificate in AI & Business.
