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Zetifi focuses on businesses in rural areas with help of $500K from Grow-NY competition
An Australian technology company is looking to assist farmers and agricultural businesses in rural areas of Western New York that have issues with sparse or no Wi-Fi coverage.
Zetifi is offering a free trial of a vehicle-mounted connectivity device ZetiRover, which is meant to address Wi-Fi hurdles to help boost productivity and job creation in regions outside of metro areas.
There is a digital divide that limits access to Wi-Fi for people and businesses in some rural communities, despite numerous programs at the state and federal level to boost access to the wireless signal used to connect devices.
A startup is looking for farmers to participate in a trial to bring Wi-Fi service to rural areas.
The trial, which is being made possible through an award of $500,000 in funding from Cornell University’s Grow-NY Food & Agriculture competition in 2020, will help Zetifi gather coverage data and validate whether the device can provide benefits to U.S. customers. Five participants from throughout Upstate New York will be selected for this trial.
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Zetifi hopes to select farmers with a desire to use the ZetiRover on their machinery or farm vehicles and agricultural services companies wishing to try it on their fleet vehicles to keep their staff connected in more places.
“These trials serve as a crucial step in understanding the ZetiRover’s performance in Upstate New York’s unique conditions before planning a full-scale U.S. market launch,” said Rob Lansdown, commercial manager at Zetifi.
The ZetiRover uses antennae and multicarrier technology to provide Wi-Fi connectivity in areas where cellular phone service would otherwise be unavailable or unreliable. For U.S. trials, the ZetiRover will be configured to bring in some coverage from AT&T and Verizon.
After taking second place in the Grow-NY Food & Agriculture competition, Zetifi established a satellite office and team in Rochester in 2021 as a base for commercial sales and product trials in upstate New York.
Since being founded in 2017, Zetifi has grown to a team of 20 employees focused in software development, network engineering, manufacturing, agriculture and business development.
To express interest or gather more information about the ZetiRover trial, submit a webform at zetifi.com/getconnected.
Niagara Falls salon takes third in pitch competition
The owner of Full Style Beauty in Niagara Falls took third place in a pitch competition hosted by the Enterprise Center at PathStone and Rochester Economic Development Corp.
Lauren Cary secured $1,000 for her cosmetology services, which encompass nail acrylics, natural hair care, eyebrow waxing and lash extensions. It was the first time Cary presented a pitch for her business. The event took place last month at the Exchange at Beverly Gray, 334 E. Utica St.
“I’m super proud of myself and am so thankful for this opportunity,” Cary said.
The competition was the final piece of an eight-week training program designed to prepare entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds in the Buffalo and Rochester areas to create complete business plans and loan packages and reduce barriers to accessing capital for startup and expansion purposes.
Of the nine contenders, taking the top spot and $5,000 prize was Shannon Halligan, founder of Halligan Creative Arts Therapy, based in Rochester. Securing second place and $2,000 was Stacey Mrva, a metal sculptor from Springwater focusing on functional fine art through welding workshops.
ShearShare teams with J.C. Penney salons
ShearShare has partnered with J.C. Penney’s salons and recently made its debut in 25 locations. The partnership will include all 629 salon sites in the coming years.
Stylists who work at a J.C. Penney salon will have access through company iPads to ShearShare’s platform, which connects salon, barbershop and spa owners with beauty and barbering professionals in need of affordable workspace.
ShearShare has more than 53,000 users on its platform, with a new fintech product on the horizon.
Talking coffee …
Unapologetic Coffee, a graduate of the UB Cultivator program for Western New York startups, is planning to expand and potentially open a second location, thanks to the help of a $15,000 grant.
Business owners and twin sisters Alicia and Alisa Officer have plans to purchase more roasting and packaging machinery with the money they recently received from a General Motors WNY Scale Up Small Business grant.
The company, which has been in business for two years at Main Utica Square in Buffalo, also will target more wholesale customers such as Tops and other local retailers.
RocketCup Coffee Co., a mission-driven entity selling beans to businesses and direct to consumers, opened a café in the Village of Cattaraugus in October.
Tom Cullen, co-founder and director of the Laine Business Accelerator in Olean and director of the St. Bonaventure University Innovation Center, combined a love for coffee with his passion for community revitalization efforts in creating RocketCup.
A portion of profits from each sold bag of coffee – blends from Brazil, Colombia and Honduras – goes to projects that serve to reenergize and grow communities. Along with his two partners, MacKenzie Bush and Steve McClain, Cullen provides $1,000 grants for these community projects.
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The state’s crackdown on illegal cannabis shops targeted a Buffalo store.
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ICYMI
Five reads from Buffalo Next:
1. How KSL Diagnostics took a troubled lab and made it grow.
2. Legal cannabis stores are rushing to open – and fearful of another legal halt.
3. Take a closer look at the Silo City development.
4. Why do grocery stores move stuff around? There’s a lot of science that goes into it, but the bottom line is increasing sales.
5. The Buffalo Niagara job market is stuck. But it’s not sick.
The Buffalo Next team gives you the big picture on the region’s economic revitalization. Email tips to buffalonext@buffnews.com or reach Buffalo Next Editor David Robinson at 716-849-4435.
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