1. Western New York Venture Association Forum
January 8
7:30 – 9:00 AM
The Buffalo Club
388 Delaware Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14202
Western New York Venture Association Forum presents speakers Laila AI Inc. founder/CEO William Kramer, and VeriTX Corp. President James Regenor, plus networking among entrepreneurs, investors and business professionals. Free for members and first-time guests of members. $10 students, $20 non-member. NOTE: Business attire is required. This means jackets for men, and NO JEANS, people.
Register here.
2. Creative Mornings
January 10
8:30 – 10 AM
Central Library
Collections Gallery, top floor
1 Lafayette Square
Buffalo, NY 14203
Free, fresh coffee, friendly people, and breakfast foods. Volunteer teams organize the local iteration of the national Creative Mornings movement; one Friday morning a month, both celebrating a city’s creative talent, and also promoting an open space to connect with like-minded individuals. Great for everyone from founders, creatives and project managers to those in HR roles. This time, the speaker is Alexander J. Wright JD, the driving force behind the African Heritage Food Co-Op. He has a pragmatic approach to solving social issues which he teaches and explains to a variety of audiences. His goal is to empower the powerless, unite communities, and promote economic self-reliance.
Interpreters available.
FREE, register here.
3. Buffalo Open Coffee Club
January 14, 21, 28
7:30 – 9 AM
Rowhouse
483 Delaware Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14202
You’re missing out if you’ve never been to this friendly, welcoming weekly meetup. Go once, and you’ll feel like a regular. Go regularly, and you might find a colleague, a gig or make a deal. Free coffee and plenty of time for networking before an informal greeting from the organizers, and an invitation to briefly introduce yourself to the assembled make it a must for those in the start-up and entrepreneurial space. Bring plenty of cards, if you’ve got them, and be ready to give your “elevator pitch” repeatedly.
Let them know you’re coming.
4. WNY Entrepreneur event
January 16
5:30 – 7:30 PM
Community Beer Works
520 7th Street
Buffalo, NY 14201
David Schaub, founder of the WNY Entrepreneur podcast, hosts these free events to encourage networking with other WNY entrepreneurs, enjoyment of complimentary food and drinks, and meeting and learning from entrepreneurs who’ve been interviewed on his podcast. Scheduled at this event are Jerry West, a successful network marketer whose expertise is in finding new clients and social media presence, and Nick Arnot, co-owner of Scale Digital Marketing.
Get a spot. Here.
5. PITCH! Night at NextCorps
January 16
6:30 – 8:30 PM
NextCorps
260 East Main Street
Rochester, NY 14604
The second PITCH! Night at NextCorps, hosted in collaboration with Valley 2 Valley and StartupGrind Rochester. Watch a few preselected Rochester-based teams showcase their ideas and companies, all with a “community” theme. Pitching teams make a five-minute presentation, followed by a three-minute Q&A. Prizes for attendees, too. You never know if you might find a founder, co-founder, or team member. Judges include Ebony Miller-Wesley, director and Sylvia Okoye, program manager, both of the RIT Center of Urban Entrepreneurship, and Yasmin Mattox founder of Arkatecht. Moderators are Doug Kellermeyer, a software developer at Mindex, and Michael Thaney, who works with innovation partnerships at Constellation Brands.
Register here