BUFFALO, NY – 43North – the $5 million startup competition – has announced the ten finalists advancing from the competition’s Finals Qualifying Round to the Finals Awards Round. Today began with 15 finalists pitching at the Atrium at Rich’s, who were evaluated by more than 30 national venture capitalists and angel investors. Ten finalists will now advance to 43North’s Finals Award Round tomorrow at Shea’s Performing Arts Center for a chance at one of eight cash prizes, including a grand prize of $1 million. “The Finals Qualifying Round added a new layer of competitiveness and excitement to the 43North competition,” said 43North Board Chair Bill Maggio. “Today’s esteemed panel of investors and venture capitalists offered valuable insight to the finalists while experiencing Buffalo’s startup ecosystem firsthand.” 43North will award a total of $5 million in cash prizes – a $1 million grand prize, a $600,000 runner-up prize, and six $500,000 prizes. Winners will also be eligible to apply for up to $400,000 in follow-on funding. 43North’s winners also receive free incubator space in 43North incubator on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus for one year, guidance from mentors in related fields, and access to other business incentive programs such as START-UP NY. Finalists will present their pitches tomorrow to a panel of seven expert judges, including: Soraya Darabi, Co-Founder, Zady and Foodspotting; Thomas Lynch, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs; John M. MacMahon, Founder and CEO, V2K Medical; Erik Moore, Founder and Managing Director, Base Ventures; Ambarish Mitra, Co-Founder, Blippar; Matthew Ryan, Executive Vice President and Global Chief Strategy Officer, Starbucks; and Tracy Valorie, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Bausch + Lomb Rx, and Valeant Women’s Health. Ten Advancing Finalists Arthena Hometown: New York, NY, USA Arthena give you access to the alternative asset class with the highest barrier to entry and strongest historical returns. We acquire invest in the most liquid segment of the art market yielding tremendous uncorrelated growth. Our strategy relies on automated and data driven results. Asarasi Hometown: Katonah, NY, USA Asarasi has developed a completely new source of water to help replace the consumption of fresh ground water. Our water is harvested from trees and does not affect ground water resources. It is sustainable and renewable. Asarasi is pioneering the recovery and bottling of this biologically pure water! Bounce Imaging Hometown: Boston, MA, USA Bounce Imaging’s 360-degree throwable cameras give first-responders critical intelligence as they enter dangerous spaces to keep us safe. Whether a police officer responding to a shooting or rescue worker digging through the earthquake rubble, users get instant 360/VR video right to their smartphone, letting them see the dangers ahead. Formarum Hometown: Richmond Hill, ON, Canada Formarum has developed a turbine technology that allows for creation of self-powered and self-contained devices which can be effortlessly installed in pipes and eliminate all external components including control panels, electrical cables, and communication modules. This capability greatly reduces upfront costs, and significantly simplifies the purchasing and installation process. HigherMe Hometown: Boston, MA, USA HigherMe helps retail and hourly employers hire better employees faster. We offer a suite of software that makes hiring more efficient, all layered on top of an industry-specific network of candidates. Companies like Dunkin’ Donuts and Panera Bread trust us with the most important part of their operation: their people. Oncolinx Hometown: Boston, MA, USA Oncolinx in conjunction with the National Cancer Institute is developing targeted cancer immunotherapies: antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). Oncolinx ADCs carry a patented, immune-activating drug payload called the Azonafide directly to the tumor. The Oncolinx platform is partnered with 14 leading pharmaceutical companies and is planned to enter clinical trials in mid-2017. PathoVax Hometown: Baltimore, MD, USA PathoVax is commercializing RGVax, a low-cost vaccine preventing all HPV-associated cancers. Current vaccines focus on sexual transmitted types, resulting in low uptake due to incomplete coverage and social stigma. RGVax’s protection covers all oncogenic HPVs and the added skin HPV protection positions RGVax as a childhood vaccine with superior uptakes. The Wealth Factory Hometown: Washington, D.C., USA For vulnerable populations in need of financial literacy, The Wealth Factory designs financial literacy education technology games that walk users from birth to retirement in 12 interactive modules to exceed the Personal Finance Common Core Standards. Our mobile game, Credit Stacker, teaches people how to manage and interpret their credit report. UltraCell Insulation Hometown: Lewiston, NY, USA UltraCell Insulation makes high performance building insulation from recycled corrugated cardboard. Our competitors in cellulose insulation are facing declining supplies of newsprint as readers turn online. In contrast, our unique patented and proven process allows us to manufacture a superior product from corrugated at a lower cost than conventional cellulose. WeDidIt Hometown: Brooklyn, NY, USA WeDidIt helps nonprofits raise more money and reach new donors online. The software service takes the hassle out of online fundraising and makes donor research simple and powerful. WeDidIt’s platform aggregates donor data so that nonprofits can automate their prospect research and launch highly targeted fundraise campaigns.]]>
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‘By hell, she’s impressive’: Kamala Harris gets thumbs up for energetic Wisconsin speech
Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a speech before an enthusiastic crowd in Milwaukee on Tuesday that earned plaudits from many progressive political observers — as well as relief about the contrast she delivers between herself and both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
Harris, who was endorsed by Biden on Sunday after he announced that he would be dropping out of the 2024 race, delivered a fiery address that touched on themes ranging from voting rights to reproductive freedoms to gun safety.
Writing on Twitter, many progressives took immediate note of the jolt of energy she had injected into the campaign.
"Elections are about all kinds of things, but I think a happy person talking about the future fits the moment better than an angry old man yelling about the past," argued Slate columnist Zachary Carter.
Watching Kamala Harris speaking in Wisconsin... By hell she’s impressive," wrote British broadcaster and media personality Carol Vorderman. "And she’s going to win … she’s energizing the young voters and has no fear of the fight."
RELATED: Harris leads Trump in first poll taken since Biden quit
NYU Law professor Chris Sprigman, meanwhile, praised Harris for delivering "a smiling, warm, positive affect, combined with coherent, declarative sentences in plain English."
"The election is going to be hard-fought," he added. "But God what a relief."
"So glad Harris is going with a future-focused message against Trump," commented Pod Save America host Tommy Vietor. "That's been missing to date imo. This is a Janet Jackson election: what have you done for me lately?"
Political reporters who watched the event also took notice of the new energy delivered by Harris.
"Hard to overstate how hyped the crowd is," wrote Politico Playbook's Eugene Daniels. "Very different vibe than usual."
"The contrast between Harris's speech and the speeches we've been hearing Biden give all year was striking," wrote New York Times reporter Peter Baker. "At none of the Biden speeches I've covered lately was the case made against the other side this sharply defined and delivered nor has there been this kind of energy."
DNC panel to meet in public to set ‘transparent, fair’ framework to pick nominee
WASHINGTON — The Democratic National Committee will move forward with the process to formally nominate a presidential candidate Wednesday when one of its committees meets in public amid ongoing efforts to set up a virtual roll call vote ahead of the convention, States Newsroom has been told.
The nomination process has been playing out for months as the DNC committees with jurisdiction have been meeting to iron out the details for a virtual roll call.
The need for a virtual roll call was triggered by deadlines in Ohio and some other states that required the political parties to have their nominee certified before or during the Democratic National Convention, scheduled to take place from Aug. 19 to Aug. 22.
Following President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris, the co-chairs of the DNC Rules Committee announced that it will be the panel’s “responsibility to implement a framework to select a new nominee, which will be open, transparent, fair, and orderly,” according to an individual familiar with their statement.
The committee is scheduled to meet publicly from 2 to 5 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday. The meeting will be live-streamed on the DNC’s YouTube page.
DNC Rules Committee co-chairs Bishop Leah D. Daughtry and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said the “process presented for consideration will be comprehensive, it will be fair, and it will be expeditious,” according to an individual close to the process who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Kansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: info@kansasreflector.com. Follow Kansas Reflector on Facebook and X.
