Project: NexusBuffalo Team: Rehhan Kadri, Karen Cheng. Ayami Warawita, Gayasuddin Shaik, Awais Ahmad
Challenge Statement: Tech for Community Connection “Craft a platform linking students, pros, tech firms, and schools, driving skill growth, mentorship, and networking in Buffalo’s tech and start-up landscape”.
Mentor(s): Maeve Rositzke
Inspiration
We wanted to make a platform connecting students, professionals, tech firms, and schools in Buffalo to grow the Buffalo tech and start-up landscape, combatting the issues that prevent Buffalo from having the best tech sector it can be.
What it does
Tired of one-size-fits-all professional networking platforms that fall short when it comes to Buffalo, New York? Look no further! NexusBuffalo is here to redefine the way you connect with professionals, explore job opportunities, and dive into Buffalo's thriving startup ecosystem. With tailor-made features designed exclusively for Buffalo, we are your premier destination for forging meaningful connections and advancing your career in the City of Good Neighbors.
Unique Features:
Buffalo Startups Showcase: Explore, engage with, and become part of Buffalo's exciting startup community. Our dedicated section spotlights the freshest startups and entrepreneurial events in Buffalo. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or eager to collaborate with startups, NexusBuffalo is your one-stop resource.
Community-Driven Content NexusBuffalo values community engagement. Share your insights, experiences, and advice regarding Buffalo's professional landscape through articles and discussions.
Local Directory: Explore a list of tech firms and organizations in Buffalo. Whether you're seeking partners, collaborators, or more, our directory assists you in identifying potential connections within Buffalo's vibrant professional ecosystem.
Networking Matchmaking: Our advanced algorithm connects you with like-minded professionals and firms in Buffalo, based on shared interests, industries, or objectives. Forge meaningful relationships that can help you thrive in your Buffalo career.
Buffalo News Feed: Stay current with the latest news and developments in Buffalo. NexusBuffalo curates local news articles and insights to keep you informed about Buffalo's dynamic business landscape.
Local Mentorship Opportunities: Connect with seasoned professionals and mentors who are eager to support your career growth. NexusBuffalo facilitates mentorship programs to nurture local talent within the Buffalo community.
How we built it
We first brainstormed the features we wanted to have on the website (we decided on a website because it was easily accessible and had the right scope of difficulty for our project). Some key features (described above) included a Buffalo News page and a start-up section to highlight the need to fuel the tech and start-up landscape in Buffalo. We formatted all of this in Figma and then built the actual website on Bubble.io.
Challenges we ran into
The main challenge during this hackathon was the fact that we only had one programmer for the website and the rest of the team had little to no experience with creating a website so it was a learning curve for everyone (whether it was using Figma to design the website or learning basic front-end web development to help and alleviate the work done by our programmer). We had to modify and reduce or simply some functions to make our website still presentable in the limited amount of time we had.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We’re proud of completing and producing a working product for this hackathon despite the challenges that we had to overcome. We were able to complete the vision that we created to the best of our ability, making a website tailored to promoting and increasing collaboration for the tech and start-up industry in Buffalo.
What we learned
There is a very strong need to promote the Buffalo tech and start-up industries as Buffalo lacking in that regard compared to other cities in the United States. Also, on the technical side, we all learned a lot about the process of creating a website (from brainstorming to Figma to the final product).
What's next for NexusBuffalo
Future innovations we want NexusBuffalo to have is an expansion of the features. For instance, expanding the learn section and tailoring it to the user’s preferences and needs or building our News section better by using an API to pull news from the web to make a more comprehensive newsfeed for the user. Other features that could be added would be a chat function for individuals and companies to connect and talk to each other; it would also help streamline the mentoring/mock interviews, letting them happen directly on the site; another key feature would be adding an international student/professional section, dedicated to helping the international population (especially graduates from Buffalo institutions) get work documentation (perhaps with the help of tech firms or other relevant individuals) as a large portion of that population is made up of graduates in the tech field.
Built With
- bubble.io
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