Dozens of submissions have already been collected for the Pitch Your Buffalo campaign, which gives the community an opportunity and a platform to share what the city means to them
For more than a decade, 43North has invited founders from around the world to pitch their ideas in Buffalo. Now they’re inviting the community to pitch something even bigger—the city itself.
Why Buffalo matters. How it’s evolving. Who stayed, returned, and invested.
A new initiative called Pitch Your Buffalo is collecting stories like these from the community itself.
Led by 43North, the platform is an open call to residents, entrepreneurs, and community builders to share their stories: the small wins, the quiet reinventions, and the personal reasons people choose to build a life here.
43North captures the energy of Buffalo's story and brings it home by investing $5 million each year in high-growth startups that pledge to operate from Western New York.
But what makes the city wonderful in the first place? That’s where Pitch Your Buffalo comes in.
"We’re putting the mic in Buffalo’s hands and letting people tell the story themselves,” said Tiffani Dickinson, creative director and marketing operations lead at 43North. “Pitch Your Buffalo is about real stories—the kind that show the personality, pride, and resilience that make this city special.”
Pitch Your Buffalo launched in late March with a presence at Women in Tech WNY, where attendees could share their stories via notecards, a typewriter, a rotary telephone, or a 20-second video.
Some of those stories are already visible on the campaign’s website, where people are welcome to share new experiences.
Share your story with Pitch Your Buffalo here.
Here are three impactful stories that we’ve collected thus far:
Moving forward, Pitch Your Buffalo will be present at various businesses and community events throughout the year. The stories will live on the Pitch Your Buffalo website, and many of them will be elevated in exciting ways throughout the year via social media and in-person events.
Backed by New York State’s Empire State Development, 43North is entering its 12th year as an investor, accelerator, and economic development tool.
