Six startups pitched at premier entrepreneur event; LegWorks wins top prize

By Paige Meckler | Bright Buffalo Niagara

The University at Buffalo held its annual Bright Buffalo Niagara Entrepreneur Expo, a staple event in the WNY startup community. The event, held once again at Hotel Henry, has celebrated, recognized and engaged with innovators in the region. Six companies pitched to a live audience and hosted tradeshow tables to showcase their plans and abilities.

One of the six companies was LegWorks. The founders of LegWorks have developed a portfolio of affordable, high quality prosthetics that have been selling for more than a year. This innovative thinking earned them the $10,000 grand prize.

The goal of Bright Buffalo Niagara is to find Buffalo startups with unique entrepreneurial vision and bring them together with investors who can make that vision a reality. Bright Buffalo Niagara gives investors the opportunity to assist contemporary Buffalo startups looking to expand their businesses.

“We’re humbled by this recognition. It reflects the strength of our team and the support of our partners and customers,” said Emily Lutyens, CEO at LegWorks. “I want to thank everyone at Bright Buffalo Niagara and UB for recognizing the impact LegWorks will have on Buffalo.”

BitCrusher: 2nd Place - 2018 Bright Buffalo NiagaraIn addition, the second-place winner of $5,000 was Bitcrusher. Bitcrusher makes a device for a guitar that allows a user to control digital sound effects directly on the instrument. Most recently, Bitcrusher took first place in the University at Buffalo’s Henry A. Panasci Jr. Technology Entrepreneurship Competition.

The event also featured special guest Pocket Sun to give the keynote address. Sun founded SoGal Ventures, one of the world’s largest communities of diverse entrepreneurs and investors with more than 10 chapters worldwide. Sun has been a featured speaker at the most prestigious conferences around the world, including Microsoft CEO Summit, Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit and TEDx.

* Upstate Venture Connect was a proud sponsor of the 2018 Bright Buffalo Niagara Entrepreneur Expo

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