Entrepreneur network bringing national program to Buffalo
The national arm of high-impact entrepreneur network Endeavor is making its way to Buffalo next week.
A national selection panel will evaluate four companies – two from Buffalo – interested in ultimately joining Endeavor’s global network as part of the events planned for Western New York.
The program, which includes tours of the city and welcome and feedback dinners, in addition to the interview and evaluation process, took place in Bentonville, Ark. and Atlanta last year and then Louisville, Ky., earlier this year.
This is the first time this relatively new program will be held in Buffalo, where Endeavor Western New York was started in 2020. It’s been in the works for more than a year, said Alan Rosenhoch, managing director of Endeavor WNY.
The panel of influential national entrepreneurs was first launched about two years ago to allow Endeavor’s U.S. block of offices to offer assistance to candidate companies readying for final selection before an international panel.
People are also reading…
“That’s really at the core of what Endeavor is all about – accomplished people sharing their experiences to help accelerate the growth of the next generation of entrepreneurs and helping them avoid the mistakes that they made,” Rosenhoch said.
Alan Rosenhoch, managing director of Endeavor WNY, says the program is all about helping the next generation of entrepreneurs.
The week will start with a staff retreat for about 37 Endeavor staff members from offices around the U.S. who are coming to Buffalo. They plan to visit Niagara Falls and places in Buffalo like Riverworks and Southern Junction.
A welcome dinner will be held Wednesday evening and then a feedback dinner will be the next night. Interviews and deliberations will be during the day Thursday.
The panel consists of 12 people, including some Endeavor WNY board members, already vetting the background of the candidate companies looking to become part of Endeavor’s global network, which provides access to mentor entrepreneurs, services and capital providers.
In addition to the two candidate companies from Buffalo, one is from Texas and the other is from Atlanta. They will be evaluated by the panel on their business scalability and desire and ability to take and use feedback.
Squire Technologies co-founders Dave Salvant, left, and Songe LaRon celebrate their 43North prize in 2017.
Among the contingent of entrepreneurs, investors and players in the ecosystem traveling to Buffalo for next week’s events are Songe LaRon and Dave Salvant, co-founders from past 43North winner Squire, and Julian Torres from Endeavor’s Columbian office, who’s the co-founder of global payroll platform OnTop.
Also slated to be in Western New York for the program is Buffalo native Geoff Ralston, founder of Rocket Mail, one of the earliest and most successful email products in the 1990s, which became Yahoo Mail.
