Article: Inside the efforts to build a medical device hub in Buffalo

A recent Buffalo News article explored the concept and active strategies behind creating a medical device innovation cluster in Buffalo.

Check out the article here (link)

The WNY Impact Investment Fund was proud to become part of that movement this summer with a $300,000 investment into The Rookery, a startup that supports other medical device startups as they move through the regulatory process.

For the Fund, this continues a trend of targeted investments in innovative manufacturing companies that show promise in revitalizing their surrounding neighborhood. We’ve found this is an excellent use case for place-based social impact investment as it opens up many fronts of community improvement through economic development.

The article has some important points about the convergence of forces that is creating this opportunity in Buffalo. It starts with world-class healthcare and commercialization assets, including the Jacobs Institute and Kaleida Health’s Gates Vascular Institute.

Then you take community leaders and entrepreneurs who are driving clinical work into innovative companies – a continuum that starts with Egret Healthcare Ventures and extends through The Rookery, Vicora, Ampullae and more.

Finally, you have a targeted redevelopment zone in the Northland Corridor on Buffalo’s East Side, where waves of public investment have created the infrastructure for such a vision to be possible.

The WNY Impact Investment Fund believes this is an exciting new front of growth for the companies and people involved and the community as a whole.