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WNY48 presents Startup in a Weekend

Build something real in WNY in 48 hours.

April 17–19, 2026

701 Ellicott Street (UB CBLS), Buffalo

2026 Winners

Zero to Startup
in One Weekend

No experience required. WNY48 gives you the structure, the people, and 48 hours to make something real.

WNY48 Partner

Buffalo Startup Week — April 15–23, 2026
Friday

Pitch

Friday evening: 60 seconds, any idea, anyone. The crowd votes on the top concepts.

Saturday

Build

Validate, design, and prototype with help from expert mentors.

Sunday

Demo

Present your MVP to judges for feedback and prizes.

Schedule

Times are approximate and subject to change.

April 17
Friday
  • 6:00 PM Registration Arrive at the venue and get checked in
  • 6:30 PM Dinner & Networking Eat food, share ideas, practice pitches, get to know fellow participants
  • 7:00 PM Welcome & Speakers Review the weekend agenda and introduce speakers, mentors, and community leaders
  • 7:15 PM Pitches Start Optionally line up to give your 60-second pitch
  • 9:00 PM Voting Attendees vote for the top pitches
  • 9:15 PM Form Teams Teams start forming and discussing ideas
  • 9:30 PM Begin Work Formalize teams and take an inventory of skills. You may stay and work as late as the venue will allow
April 18
Saturday
  • 9:00 AM Breakfast Arrive, simple breakfast & coffee
  • 9:30 AM Begin Work Teams set up workspace for the weekend
  • 12:00 PM Lunch
  • 1:00 PM Check-In After-lunch check-in, status reports, call for help
  • 2:00 PM Mentor Meetings Mentors help teams one-on-one. They are here to help!
  • 6:30 PM Dinner
  • 7:30 PM Check-In After-dinner check-in, status reports, call for help
  • 10:00 PM Wrap-Up Finished for the day. You may stay and work as late as the venue will allow
April 19
Sunday
  • 9:00 AM Breakfast Arrive, simple breakfast & coffee
  • 10:00 AM Check-In Mentors arrive for a final opportunity to ask questions
  • 12:00 PM Lunch
  • 12:30 PM Mentor Meetings Mentors arrive… ASK QUESTIONS
  • 2:30 PM Presentation Prep & Tech Check Tech check takes place now. Final work hours. Focus on perfecting your presentation.
  • 3:30 PM Final Presentations
  • 5:00 PM Judging & Awards 🥇 🥈 🥉 Winners announced!
  • 5:30 PM Wrap-Up
  • 6:00 PM Go Home!

Judges

A panel of investors, founders, and community leaders who evaluate final presentations and award prizes.

Hadar Borden

Hadar Borden

Director

UB Startup & Innovation Collaboratory

Leads innovation and economic development at UB’s Startup and Innovation Collaboratory, powered by Blackstone LaunchPad. Champion of entrepreneurial talent across WNY.

Nicole Camarre

Nicole Camarre

VP Investments & Platform

43North

Leads investment strategy at 43North, making sure founders have the capital, resources, and networks to scale. Background spans VC, M&A, and strategic finance.

Dan Magnuszewski

Dan Magnuszewski

CEO

Radial Ventures

Buffalo entrepreneur and venture builder. Co-founder and former CTO of ACV Auctions (startup to IPO). Now runs Radial Ventures, a WNY venture studio.

Jack McGowan

Jack McGowan

Executive Director

WNY Venture Association/Buffalo Angels

Runs the Buffalo Angels investor network and the WNY Venture Association, the original forum for Western New York startups. Longtime coach for update founders.

Edreys Wajed

Edreys Wajed

Artist: Co-Founder of Eat Off Art

Eat Off Art

Multi-disciplinary artist and co-founder of creative consultancy Eat Off Art. Works across visual art, jewelry, music, curation, and community-rooted education.

Prizes & Winners

48 hours. Dozens of ideas. Three teams that built something worth betting on.

  1. First Place

    DJ Ruszkowski, Munib Khan team photo

    Aquapulse

    DJ Ruszkowski, Munib Khan

    AQUAPULSE uses AI data modeling to help cities find leaking pipes and predict water infrastructure risks.

    Visit Aquapulse →

    $5,000

    + 5 months Claude Code Max

    provided by Good Neighbor Fund

  2. Second Place

    Dan Gigante, Irina Kireeva, Puru Soni, Nischal Sunar team photo

    O So Good Company

    Dan Gigante, Irina Kireeva, Puru Soni, Nischal Sunar

    O So Good Company makes Buffal-O's — Buffalo's first city-branded cereal that donates a meal to the FeedMore WNY with every box sold, turning breakfast into local impact.

    Visit O So Good Company →

    $2,500

  3. Third Place

    Trishanu Roy, Sai Sasank Kurnella, Ayush Nadaiminty, Koushik Gopisetti team photo

    HealRoute

    Trishanu Roy, Sai Sasank Kurnella, Ayush Nadaiminty, Koushik Gopisetti

    HealRoute solves a multi-billion-dollar problem of delayed, misdirected, and overpriced healthcare by simplifying healthcare navigation.

    Visit HealRoute →

    $1,000

Powering Buffalo’s
Startup Scene

WNY48 is made possible by organizations that believe in Western New York’s entrepreneurial future.

Springboard BootSector WIN
Radial Ventures Growth Focus Innovations Ahead
Good Neighbor Fund Colligan Law
View Sponsorship Prospectus

Questions? Answered.

Nope! Many participants come without an idea and join a team around someone else’s pitch.

None in particular! We need people with all kinds of skills: coding, design, marketing, sales, finance, domain expertise, and hustle. All skill levels welcome.

Tickets are $48, with early bird pricing at $25.00! All tickets include 5 meals throughout the weekend, a commemorative t-shirt, unlimited internet and coffee, one-on-one mentorship, and partner benefits and discounts. Scholarships are available, so email us if cost is a barrier.

You can come with friends, but we encourage everyone to participate in the open team formation process Friday night. Some pre-formed teams go on to win. It’s up to you.

You own 100% of what you create. WNY48 makes no claim on your intellectual property.

Prizes will be announced closer to the event. Past prizes have included cash, AWS credits, coworking memberships, and mentorship packages. We're still finalizing prizes for 2026.

WNY48 is inspired by the global Startup Weekend format but is independently organized by community members in Western New York.

Absolutely. Students make up a big part of every WNY48 cohort. Several past participants have gone on to found real companies that started as weekend projects.

1. Validation:
Did your team get out and talk to customers?
Are you actually solving a problem?
Have you identified a specific target market?

2. Execution & Design:
Do you have an MVP or prototype?
Design matters! Is your product easy to use?

3. Business Model:
How do you plan on making this a successful business?
Are you solving a real problem? (value proposition)
Is your idea unique?