Event brings together technologists, and their work, from bank’s tech footprint
M&T Tech hosted a growing conference last week that shows off what its technologists have been accomplishing and brings them together to collaborate.
More than 1,000 people accepted invitations to attend the third annual 71Tech Conference, showcasing technology solutions under development inside M&T’s Tech Hubs, which will help contribute to Buffalo’s growing – but undersized – tech scene.
An interactive session with booths set up in the lobby of Seneca One is where technologists showed off their work Thursday during the M&T Tech 71Conference.
While the conference brings in business partners of M&T, it also serves to connect employees across M&T’s tech footprint so they can share what they do. And the event has gotten bigger each year. The first year drew about 500 people.
An interactive session with booths set up in the lobby of Seneca One is where technologists showed off their work Thursday during the M&T Tech 71Conference.
“From an M&T Tech perspective, we feel like this is making a bold statement about what technology means to Buffalo and how we can continue to help grow that, not just in this building and this forum but how we take that out to the communities we serve,” said Josh Bond, engineering director at M&T Bank.
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An interactive session with booths set up in the lobby of Seneca One is where technologists showed off their work Thursday during the M&T Tech 71Conference.
At the conference, M&T highlighted the collaboration it has built inside its three Tech Hubs – at Seneca One and Lafayette Court, along downtown Buffalo’s Main Street Innovation Corridor, and Wilmington Plaza in downtown Wilmington, Del. The bank launched its Tech Hub at Lafayette Court in Buffalo last year and now employs 2,029 people within its technology division.
The conference touched on the latest trends that are changing regional industries and the banking sector. Between seminars at the conference, there was an interactive session with booths set up in the lobby of Seneca One, where technologists showed off their work. Other sessions offered views on the industry and the intersection between tech and banking.
Josh Bond, engineering director at M&T Bank, talks about the third annual 71Tech Conference at Seneca One.
71Tech additionally featured a community engagement activity, in which employee volunteers made reusable grocery bags from recycled T-shirts to be donated to Providence Farm Collective and West Side Community Services.
The event was also part of M&T Bank’s Western New York Community Impact Week in which more than 1,000 employees serve the community as volunteers over the course of the spring.
Reach East Marketing Accelerator offers help to East Side businesses
Buffalo’s East Side entrepreneurs and small-business owners in need of help growing their businesses have a chance to participate in a marketing accelerator.
Applications are now open for the program, Reach East Marketing Accelerator, which is designed to build marketing acumen and spur growth for entrepreneurs and small business owners in East Side neighborhoods.
The Exchange at Beverly Gray and The Foundry are collaborating to offer the program that pairs businesses with marketing professionals to build knowledge and skills in marketing, branding, and communications.
“While there is significant entrepreneurial activity on the East Side, we know that many business owners lack marketing acumen and a network of experts that can really help their businesses grow,” said Derrick Parson, executive director of The Exchange at Beverly Gray.
It will include six full-day workshops from July through September that will offer eight chosen businesses training and mentoring in foundational brand and marketing strategy.
Businesses that complete the program and go through a final graduation event will be eligible for up to $5,000 in funding to help them implement their marketing initiatives. Chosen businesses for the program, funded by the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, are expected to be notified by mid-June.
“The customized approach to Reach East is unique and will offer businesses marketing strategies and solutions truly tailored to their needs and their budget, making the training something that business owners can implement right away to help take their business to the next level,” added Megan McNally, executive director of The Foundry.
Applications will be accepted until May 22 and can be found at www.ReachEastBuffalo.com.
Viridi CEO a finalist for entrepreneur award
Jon M. Williams, the Buffalo innovator behind a lithium-ion battery energy storage system capable of holding a significant amount of energy for later use, has been named a finalist for the Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 New York Award.
The CEO of Viridi Parente was one of 44 regional entrepreneurs selected as finalists by an independent panel of judges. The candidates were evaluated based on their track record of building long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact, among other core contributions and attributes. The U.S. program consists of 17 regional program award winners chosen in June, and they’ll compete for national recognition at the Strategic Growth Forum in November.
Viridi Parente, which is Latin for green parent, is a growing company promoting job equity, employing about 100 people, many from city neighborhoods, and plans to expand at its East Delavan Avenue manufacturing plant, once occupied by General Motors and then American Axle & Manufacturing.
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