Summary
Circle Optics was honored to present at 43North’s 2025 Upstate Demo Day in Buffalo, coordinated by Sophia Marshall. The event highlighted startups driving innovation across AI, sustainability, advanced manufacturing, and imaging. COO Ian Gauger shared Circle Optics’ latest advancements in real-time panoramic imaging, noting, “Participating in 43North Demo Day was great! I love being a part of all the positive things happening in the Upstate New York ecosystem.”
Buffalo, NY – October 2025 — Circle Optics was honored to present at 43North’s 2025 Upstate Demo Day, coordinated by Sophia Marshall, alongside a dynamic group of startups representing the region’s expanding innovation ecosystem. The event showcased the diversity and ingenuity of emerging technologies across multiple sectors—from AI and sustainability to advanced manufacturing and imaging.
Circle Optics’ COO Ian Gauger presented the company’s latest advancements in real-time panoramic imaging, emphasizing how stitch-free optical design delivers situational intelligence for defense, aerospace, and simulation applications. “Participating in 43North Demo Day was great! I love being a part of all the positive things happening in the Upstate New York ecosystem,” Gauger shared.
Presenting Companies:
Kredit Academy · Say Hii · Renewal Mill · Bounce Imaging · Bridge Green Upcycle · Dentite · KAV · Spiky · Makeoff · Lamarr.ai · Paradigm Emissions Technologies · HeronAI · Ognomy · Edenesque · Circle Optics
The day opened with welcome remarks from Alan Rosenhoch of Endeavor and featured an educational segment designed to strengthen founder readiness and sales capability. Andrew Golden, Founder of GrowthX, shared insights on the art of framing a value proposition, emphasizing the importance of speaking in the customer’s language and focusing on measurable outcomes rather than technical descriptions. Andrew Wraps outlined a methodology for achieving product-market fit, encouraging founders to qualify opportunities quickly, stay connected with future prospects, and focus energy on “right-now” customers.
For Circle Optics, these lessons reinforce the company’s approach to aligning technology with mission outcomes. The team continues to focus on communicating the tangible value of its stitch-free panoramic imaging systems, enabling faster, safer, and more informed decision-making for defense, aerospace, and simulation environments.
The event concluded with the 43North Finals, the signature showcase of New York State’s startup ecosystem.
Governor Kathy Hochul announced the winners of the 11th annual 43North Finals, held at Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo, where five companies each received a $1 million investment and will relocate to Buffalo’s Seneca One incubator. She emphasized that New York State is committed to helping innovative startups scale and hire, noting that 43North continues to be a proven engine for that growth. She congratulated this year’s five winners and expressed confidence that they will help strengthen Buffalo’s standing as one of the nation’s fastest-growing startup cities.
The 2025 winners are:
Cellsense (New York, NY) – Transforms algae and cellulose into compostable beads that eliminate microplastics in fashion and cosmetics.
Cosi Care (London, U.K.) – Creates medical devices that offer instant itch relief and infection management for eczema and chronic itch.
Floe (New Haven, CT) – Provides a smart, cost-effective, eco-friendly solution for ice and snow management on roofs.
RadEmploy (New York, NY) – A radiology staffing platform that uses conversational AI to connect healthcare professionals with hospital systems.
Tukki.ai (Miami, FL) – Combines AI and expert support to simplify visa and green-card management.
Since 2014, 43North has invested in 74 companies that collectively created more than 3,000 jobs and raised over $1 billion in capital.
About Circle Optics
Circle Optics develops stitch-free, panoramic imaging systems that accelerate decision-making in high-stakes environments. Its patented multi-camera technology eliminates stitching delays, parallax distortion, and blind spots—capturing real-time 360° imagery with perfect geometric alignment and pixel integrity. Built for defense, aerospace, and autonomous systems, Circle Optics delivers situational intelligence for a safer, smarter, more immersive world.
