Online Event
FI Buffalo - New York Spring 2026 Graduation: Meet the New Portfolio Companies
Join us in celebrating the next generation of startup founders!
Date
Feb 11, 2026
Time
06:00 pm - 07:30 pm
Address
Online Event
Join us for the Buffalo Graduation—reimagined as a live pitch competition. Our graduating founders will pitch their companies to a panel of mentors and alumni who've built, funded, and scaled startups, and compete for bragging rights and a featured profile from Founder Institute. Meet the newest alumni, see what they're building next, and connect with the broader community as we celebrate the cohort.
Mentor Judges:
- Mark DeSantis was the CEO of Bloomfield, a venture-backed AI company in agriculture which sold to Kubota in 2024. He was previously cofounder and CEO of RoadBotics, a venture-backed AI company assessing roadway infrastructure. He was also previously cofounder and Chairman of kWantix, a quant energy hedge fund, and cofounder and CEO of kWantera, a venture-backed energy trading company. Previously, he was CEO of Think Through Learning, a venture-backed online tutoring company and US Managing Director of ANGLE Technology, PLC, a UK-based venture capital firm and consultancy.
- Rose Pember Robinson is head of Operations at Buildstock, a venture-backed B2B marketplace and software platform transforming construction materials procurement and cashflow through tech-enabled solutions. She was previously a founder of Hodge, which offered organic waste collection services to NYC businesses. Rose brings cross-venture experience in design, operations, and scaling early companies, with a background rooted in driving agency through design and operational excellence.
- David Silverstein is the co-founder and CEO of Ned, a venture-backed fintech building white-label lending infrastructure that helps lenders innovate and scale capital deployment across revenue-based and cash-flow lending products. Prior to Ned, he served as Chief of Staff to the Chairman & CEO at MediaLink and held leadership roles at DEFY Media. Earlier in his career, David was Press Secretary to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, shaping his deep understanding of capital flows and economic policy.
We Proudly Announce the Following Graduates:
- Ajith Kumar Perakathu Somasekharan of Intelligent Assist
- Catherine Esposito of Blue Moss
- Chris Ikhiede of Thirdsentry
- David Blumenthal of Eddie
- Lucas Hudek of Maly
- Sean Bayrakal of V51
- Sofia Maria Bosch of MaMu
- Takahiro Miura of Ops Peer
About Founder Institute:
The Founder Institute is the world’s most proven network to turn ideas into fundable startups, and startups into global businesses. Since 2009, our structured accelerator programs have helped over 8,900 entrepreneurs raise over 2BN in funding. Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across 100 countries, our mission is to empower communities of talented and motivated people to build impactful technology companies worldwide.
The Founder Institute is the world’s most proven network to turn ideas into fundable startups, and startups into global businesses. Since 2009, our structured accelerator programs have helped over 8,900 entrepreneurs raise over 2BN in funding. Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across 100 countries, our mission is to empower communities of talented and motivated people to build impactful technology companies worldwide.
Speakers
Platinum Partners
Google
Linkedin
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The Founder Institute is the world’s most proven network to turn ideas into fundable startups, and startups into global businesses. Since 2009, our structured accelerator programs have helped over 8,900 entrepreneurs raise over 2BN in funding. Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across 100 countries, our mission is to empower communities of talented and motivated people to build impactful technology companies worldwide.
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