43North

www.43north.org

43North invests $5 million annually in seed-stage startups, providing $1 million per company in exchange for 5% equity, requiring relocation to Buffalo for 12 months of immersive accelerator programming. They focus on pre-seed/seed stage companies with established customer traction, venture capital backing, and strong teams who see genuine value in operating in Buffalo.

Check Size

$1M - $1M

Stages

Seed, Series A, Series B

Focus Areas

Enterprise Saas, Vertical Saas, Marketplace

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Investment Thesis

43North operates as a location-based accelerator focused on recruiting high-growth seed-stage startups to Buffalo, NY through a combination of meaningful capital investment and comprehensive support services. Their philosophy centers on democratizing access to venture capital and startup resources by investing in companies outside traditional tech hubs, believing that ‘talent is equally distributed, opportunity isn’t.’ They view Buffalo as a strategic location where founders can scale rapidly with dedicated mentorship, networking, and operational support.

What Sets Them Apart

Location-based model: Attracts startups to Buffalo through competitive capital and city-specific resources rather than competing in Silicon Valley
Comprehensive support beyond funding: Provides free Class A office space in Seneca One Tower, mentorship with industry experts, access to network of ~1,000 investors, and dedicated recruiting/marketing/fundraising support
Community integration: Emphasizes founder relocation and local hiring, creating ecosystem effects and long-term city impact
Proven track record: Portfolio includes a unicorn (ACV Auctions) and publicly-traded company with $1B+ collectively raised
Rigorous selection process: Multi-stage competition with public Finals event drawing 3,000+ Buffalo community members as witnesses
Industry-agnostic approach: Explicitly states 'A diverse, industry-agnostic portfolio' with investments across biotech, SaaS, consumer products, cleantech, and more