Through snowstorms, stock market crashes and great recessions, the Western New York Venture Association has run its regular schedule of five venture forums per year for more than a quarter century. It’s not going to let the COVID-19 pandemic stop that streak now.
The WNYVA will conduct its next meeting digitally on Wednesday, May 13 from 8-9 a.m. using the Zoom platform. As always, the meeting will feature presentations by two promising startups in the Western New York region and will include “Formal Networking” in which each participant gets a chance to briefly introduce herself or himself to the group. “We won’t be providing coffee and baked goods and the attendees don’t need to dress in business attire, but the rest of the meeting will be as usual,” according to Jack McGowan of Insyte Consulting, who serves as the Executive Director of the WNYVA and the Buffalo Angels. The Buffalo Angels, a subgroup of the WNYVA that is limited to accredited investors, has held its last two monthly meetings using Zoom and has not had not had any problems with sound or visual quality. “Meeting attendance has been similar to that at our in-person meetings,” McGowan indicated.
The presenting companies on May 13 will be CLIP.BIKE and STC Sound Control. CLIP.BIKE is a Brooklyn-based start-up with a portable device that upgrades a conventional bicycle to an e-bike instantly. CLIP.BIKE is developing relationships with Western New York organizations that promote bicycling and alternative transportation and plans to launch its product and manufacturing in upstate New York this summer. STC Sound Control makes acoustical products for architecture that minimize the annoyance and aggravation related to noise. The Company was founded by a local architect. The products are produced by a Buffalo-based manufacturer and are used in multiple building types including hotels, offices, residential and restaurants.
The meeting on May 13 is open to WNYVA members and non-members at no cost. Those who are not already on the WNYVA’s mailing list may send an email to info@wnyventure.com to request the link to participate in the venture forum.
