Buffalo isn’t just the city of good neighbors. It’s home to a growing startup and tech ecosystem. To meet the needs of these expanding ecosystems, a new resource for job seekers looking to break free from the corporate bubble and early-stage companies searching for talent has hit the streets. Ladies and gentlemen – Forge Buffalo!
The brainchild of 43North and Viaduct, Forge Buffalo connects talent with tech companies, startups and emerging businesses. Lead by Christian Gaddis, Forge Buffalo aims to bust the myths about startup life, share the latest opportunities, and highlight the numerous benefits that startup careers offer. The senior marketing manager who joined the team in June of 2020 shared details about his vision for Forge Buffalo and its mission.
“Forge Buffalo is an online hub designed to connect talent in the 716 with the fastest-growing startups, most innovative tech companies and dynamic emerging businesses throughout the region. What makes us great and where we thrive is that we’re not limited to 43North portfolio companies. We’re here to support the growing startup ecosystem in Buffalo as a whole. For us, while it’s important to take care of our 43North family, we also want to make sure that we are an umbrella of services for every startup, tech company and emerging business in the community.”
The need for Forge Buffalo became apparent as members of the 43North and Viaduct teams began seeing a growing number of resumes from people interested in working with startups. Despite the increase, they noticed that a number of people still weren’t sure what being about the startup life really meant and decided to use Forge Buffalo to help educate.
“We’re redefining what it means to work for a startup by bringing the truth to light. People think you have to be a risk-taker because the company could go out of business in three months, which is simply not true. Or they think, ‘I need to be super into tech,’ but the reality is startups are just like everyday corporate companies. They’re just smaller and getting started. They need HR, marketing and salespeople. They need so many things that don’t require a technical background that individuals really can get in on the ground floor to help build and have really explosive career growth.”
Whether you are familiar with working in a startup or this is a new venture for you, Forge Buffalo has resources that make getting started with a startup easy and enjoyable. Candidates can create a free account on Forge Buffalo, upload their resume and let the companies searching the site find them. They can also actively search Forge Buffalo’s traditional job board, which lists available job opportunities at various companies and organizations. And if you need help building your resume, want to learn more about the startup life or want to learn more about Buffalo’s startup community, Forge Buffalo’s blog, Flashpoint, is packed with advice and information from industry experts.
“Our database is organized by the candidates’ field of interest, so the companies using it can easily find individuals who are a good fit and reach out to them. For candidates, this means even if you don’t see an active opportunity on our site, the startup of your dreams can still find you.”
Gaddis explained that the momentum is growing for Buffalo’s startup economy. With the pandemic affecting many people’s careers, jobs, and stability, there’s been a mindset shift that is influencing people to reinvent their career paths.
“You can feel the momentum growing in our startup ecosystem. The wheels are turning, and the train is getting ready to leave the station. We’re a short jump away from things really taking off, and people understand that if there’s a time to get in, it’s going to be now. It’s a great opportunity for our community because we have this amazing chance to shape Buffalo into what we’ve always wanted it to be and bring it to its full potential.”
According to Gaddis, there is nothing quite like the energy found at a startup. He even calls Seneca One Tower a lightning rod for startups in Buffalo. From the first steps into the building, there is a sort of “magic” in the air that is unmatched, sparking creativity and creation. For Gaddis, building Forge Buffalo means harnessing this same energy into a city that is already made up of an electric community! If you’re ready to Forge your path and find your role, visit ForgeBuffalo.com.