"$5 Million. One Night" - 43 North

We are a little over a week away from meeting some of the best entrepreneurs and start up companies around the globe and its all taking place here in Buffalo, NY with the help of 43 North. 43 North is part of NY Governor Andrew Cuomo's Buffalo Billion initiative which helps Buffalo and WNY with new economic opportunities. The competition operates with the support from The New York State Power Authority and Buffalo Billion.

Last week I was able to meet with Colleen Heidinger, Director of Events and Programming for 43 North and she broke down all of the fun and free events taking place starting Oct. 21st. The events taking place provide you with the opportunity to learn more about these entrepreneurs and their start up ideas while letting you interact and meet with community organizations you may not have known about before. During this week you also are given the opportunity to see a lot of the new economic development taking place in Buffalo through 43 North Week

A few of the events I am looking forward to attending are the following:

Oct. 26th - Think Big with 43 North  at the Buffalo Marriott Harbor Center - 5:30-8pm

Oct. 27th - Ping Pong Diplomacy - A ping pong competition taking place at 43 North  beginning at 6pm. To register email Colleen at colleen@43north.org

Oct. 29th - Finalists pitch session being held in the morning and afternoon with the awards ceremony taking place in the evening at Shea's. This is OPEN to the public and FREE. All you have to do is click here to get your tickets.

To see a complete list of events during 43 North Week click here.

{Colleen, 43 North}

Colleen is originally from Buffalo, moved away and worked with highly reputable companies planning events.  She decided to move back home to help make a difference and develop Buffalo and she is doing just that. With the help of Colleen not only do the finalists get to experience all Buffalo has to offer, Buffalonians are encouraged to come out to these free events to learn about the new and exciting things taking place in their hometown.

Star judges will be coming into town from all over the country to meet the finalists and hear their ideas {See a complete list of judges here}. This is a perfect night out - celebrate the city, before heading out to dinner. The winner will move to Buffalo by January 1 and receive mentorships from a variety of local partners and community supporters. For the complete list of sponsors you can check them out by clicking here.

I'd like to end with a quote from Colleen that I think sums up 43 North perfectly - "The award ceremony on Oct. 29th is not about trophies, its about building a culture of entrepreneurs while building the city and that is all possible because of the help from 43 North."

So what are you waiting for -click here to see the Next Things Now video from 2014 and get your tickets for Oct. 29th here to see where Buffalo is headed.

-B