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Your weekly link to the local startup community.
Long Live Buffalo.
Into this house we're born, into this world we're thrown
Like a dog without a bone, an actor out on loan, riders on the storm
 
Without knowledge, prejudice, inclination or bias, we enter life with an instinctual predisposition to first find shelter, seek sustenance and give love.  Our family, race, genetics, the house we are born into, the world to which we enter, are all predetermined for us before our eyelids crack open for the first time, as are the varying God given attributes like how tall we can grow or the volume of facts we can memorize or the strength of our arterial walls.  Our personalities, sense of balance, desire for companionship are nascent, fragile and easily influenced by our entrance environment, of which we have no conscious control over as well.  All our innate traits are seedlings within the virgin forest of our body, yet to grow and develop.
 
For all we have not, we do brandish freedom of choice, circumstantial awareness, the ability to affect change and a sunrise every morning to remind us there are bigger things in this world (I suppose a 432 thousand mile radius flaming fireball charging across the sky will do that to you).
 
Show love, compassion, unity, empathy and peace in your actions, words and thoughts.  The reverberations of intentional positive activity will change the world.  Choose wisely what to believe, who to associate with and what is right.  Decide what to lay as foundational stones of your moral constitution, through what lens we see the world and what makes us furiously happy.  Choose not to doubt, as it is a natural anticoagulant and inhibits healing the wounds that divide us.  We alone pick what we are aware of and where we influence, instigate, illustrate and initiate change, where to promote unity, where to lend a hand and where to pull it away.  And we hold all the tools to repair, mend and save the broken and charred hearts of those who choose poorly among us.  Nothing is carved in stone and nothing is permanent.
 
Choice.  Healing.  Awareness.  One bright lantern to light our way.  Every day, we hold all ingredients to change.
 
Girl, you gotta love your man, take him by the hand, make him understand, 
The world on you depends, our life will never end, you gotta love your man.
 
-Jack                  
Call to Action
The WNY Startup Community has been engaged in discussions on how we can support each other--especially people of color in our community--and  what we can each do in a time when that question is really the question:
  • Acknowledge and learn about how society has affected your view of the world. Check your unconscious bias in this Harvard implicit association test.
  • Listen and learn. Read Me and white supremacy or Why I no longer talk to white people about race and add more books by Black authors to your reading list in general. The Yikes podcast episodes 4 and 6 also come highly recommended.
  • Talk about racism and more importantly call people out on their racism — online, on your social media, with your colleagues, at the dinner table with family and friends. 
  • Give your money/time/power to create safer spaces & opportunities for others. Amplify voices of people who’d otherwise go unheard. Donate to the Minnesota Freedom FundGeorge Floyd Memorial FundBlack Visions Collective and get informed about local organizations that work on battling racism, social inequalities and injustices.
  • Listen more than you speak.
  • Be uncomfortable.

Worth the Click

Diversity is more than skin color; inclusion is more than a checkbox

US businesses must take meaningful action against racism
 
Tech trend bleeds megacities, boosts heartland

State of Small Business Report from Facebook & Small Biz Roundtable

Pitch-in pitch event from Buffalo
Startup Spotlight - Sharon Cryan, Foodnerd
 
What is one thing people should know about Foodnerd?
Foodnerd is 100% committed to making superfoods more accessible. We use raw, sprouted, organic ingredients that are GMO-free and never pressurized or treated with chemicals or preservatives because we know that delivering high-impact, nutrient dense foods can make a huge difference in how we feel. We don’t take this responsibility lightly. We work with leading food scientists as well as health and nutritional experts so that our products are backed by science. Food is not a product to us, it’s a passion.
How do you go from idea stage to having a startup? by Clark Dever
Submit your own articles to be featured here

Events - there is no community without unity

Our community's constantly-updated list of events can be found on the Venture Herd calendar. The next week includes everything from networking events to sales workshops to author talks.
Local weekly Open Coffee Clubs:
Launch Summer Accelerator
Launch Summer Accelerator is accepting applications through 6/7
With access to LaunchPad national resources, mentorship, industry leaders, and workshops, teams will compete for $10k in prizes. Free agents accepted!
Program dates: 6/15 - 8/7
Apply Here
WNY Startup Job Board
If your company is hiring, let us know so we can share it here.
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Buffalo Startup Community · PO Box 606 · Buffalo, NY 14207-0606 · USA