Celebrating the local entrepreneurs and startups who are scoring touchdowns by raising money, hiring in Buffalo and scaling their products across the U.S.
Series B welcomes submissions to the draft for companies that meet certain criteria.
With the next pick in the 2026 Buffalo Startup Draft, Series B selects…
Series B is excited to announce its first ever Buffalo Startup Draft, which will take place live at Seneca One Tower on April 23, the same day as the first round of the real NFL draft.
Buffalo Bills legend and radio commentator Eric Wood will take the stage to “draft” local companies that hit certain benchmarks onto the Series B team.
The fun event is a way to acknowledge high-tech local companies that are raising money, building teams and scaling into new markets.
The event will be the culmination of Buffalo Startup Week, including a keynote address by Wood and an after-party at Other Half Brewing, both sponsored by the Series B and the 43North Foundation. It will take place on the same day as the NFL draft.
The Series B “draft” is a fun way to honor local startup companies that are accomplishing great things in Buffalo. Qualifying companies must be scalable startup companies (not professional services firms or consulting businesses) that hit one of the following benchmarks in 2025:
If it sounds like your company deserves to be drafted by Eric Wood and Series B, send submissions to dminer@43northfoundation.org.
Series B wants to celebrate this moment – and to celebrate changemakers and entrepreneurs in Buffalo – with hundreds of our closest friends. The event is free but space will be limited. Register here!
Series B is a new media and marketing platform in Buffalo, created by the 43North Foundation to tell a coordinated story about the future of our community and economy. SeriesBuffalo.com went live in January and since then, stories have covered everything from vibrant clusters of local startups in food CPG and insure-tech; prominent expats who are returning home; the suddenly thriving local film production industry; and a youthful group of founders who are putting Buffalo on the map for inclusive fashion.
Series B has a free weekly newsletter where all of these stories appear in one place. Subscribe here!
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For the full lineup of Buffalo Startup Week programming—including founder-focused workshops, investor conversations, student innovation events, and opportunities to connect with the region’s growing network of entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders—visit buffalo.edu/startupweek. Buffalo Startup Week is powered by the Western New York Incubator Network (WIN) and supported by UB Business and Entrepreneur Partnerships.
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About us: The 43North Foundation is making a significant investment in Buffalo’s tech and startup economy, which is the key to making Western New York a more dynamic and successful place. The Foundation is investing across four strategic pillars, including the creation of new companies (Radial Ventures), developing a worldclass talent pool (TechBuffalo), storytelling (Series B[uffalo]) and the region’s first-ever structured corporate connectivity program.
