The WNY Impact Investment Fund continued to provide catalytic capital to projects with exciting commercial promise and positive local impact in 2025.
The Fund’s deals reflected the strength it has built in sourcing mission-oriented projects led by talented entrepreneurs who are rooted in Buffalo.
Those entrepreneurs are the beating heart of our investments, which unlock driven individuals to achieve their ambition.
In 2025, the Fund completed three new investments into very different businesses that are united by a shared commitment to community benefit and long-term value creation.
They include:
The Rookery
The Fund’s $300,000 investment in The Rookery supported the continued growth of a Buffalo-based company that is a centerpiece in the broader push to create a medical device manufacturing corridor on Buffalo’s East Side.
The Rookery is a startup company modeled after Minneapolis-based Resolution Medical and run by the same team. It will support medical device startups from concept through commercialization, including R&D work and manufacturing.
With previous investments in Viridi, CleanFiber, Buffalo FilmWorks and Top Seedz, the Fund has realized success identifying high-growth manufacturing projects that are poised to also revitalize the surrounding neighborhood. The Rookery continues this legacy.
Read our announcement of The Rookery deal here
3AM Innovations
The Fund’s $750,000 investment in 3AM Innovations comes at an exciting time for the Buffalo-based software company, which makes software that keeps first responders safe during emergency situations.
3AM now has enterprise contracts with several of the largest fire departments in the U.S., expanded with large international clients and recently formalized an exciting distribution partnership with T-Mobile.
Read our announcement of the 3AM Innovations deal here
Arbol
Arbol represents the Fund’s continued commitment to technology solutions that address systemic challenges. In this case, Arbol’s ed-tech software platform helps students avoid financial insecurity in college and drives them toward successful degree completion.
Led by Latino cofounders David Gonzalez and Favio Osorio, Arbol has established a strong client base among local colleges as it embarks on a national growth push.
The Fund's $250,000 check to Arbol is the second investment we've made in the company.
Read our announcement of the Arbol deal here
Eight years of driving impact
Led by CEO Tom Quinn, the Fund has raised $20 million since its debut in 2017. It deployed $13.5 million of that money into 16 local companies via 26 investments and has a strong runway in the years ahead to continue making impactful deals.
That was the message shared at the Fund’s annual celebration in October, which was held this year at Buffalo FilmWorks. The Fund invested $750,000 in Buffalo FilmWorks in 2022 to complete the largest film production stage in the northeast, and after years of industry headwinds, the site is now humming with notable productions.
Read more about our annual event here
Buffalo FilmWorks is revitalizing a formerly vacant industrial building at Babcock and Clinton streets in Buffalo. It is also contributing to the emergence of a film production industry in Buffalo, supporting hundreds of local jobs.
That fortitude in a difficult economic environment is a shared attribute by many of the Fund’s portfolio companies.
“We’re pleased to look across our portfolio and see many companies that are scaling while making Western New York a better place,” Quinn told about 150 people who attended the event. “We plan to continue doing this important work for years to come.”
Social impact reporting
This fall, the Fund publicized its annual report on social impact. The Fund differentiates itself by the rigor of its impact investment process, analyzing potential deals and portfolio performance through two distinct lenses: commercial promise and social impact.
Check out the full blog at this link.
In summary
- The Fund’s investments have led to the creation of 372 full-time equivalent jobs, up from 285 at the close of 2023. A total of 66% of those employees represent a marginalized community.
- More than 50% of the leadership teams in the Fund’s portfolio are from marginalized groups. That includes female-led companies such as Top Seedz (Rebecca Brady), Buffalo FilmWorks (Jennifer O’Neill), CaHILL Tech (Carley Hill) and SomaDetect (Bethany Desphande).
- Companies that have received investments have gone on to bring more than 1.5 million square feet of formerly vacant manufacturing space back into use, highlighting the Fund’s effective support of manufacturing and neighborhood revitalization projects.
Looking ahead
As the Fund enters a new year, it will continue to make social impact investments that drive positive change in Buffalo and across Western New York.
The Fund looks forward to continuing to partner with entrepreneurs who are committed to this region, to invest in companies that strengthen neighborhoods and expand opportunity, and to demonstrate—year after year—that capital deployed with intention can help build a more resilient, inclusive local economy.
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