28 Buffalo Business Spring 2022
Rebecca Brady stood on stage last fall for the
43North competition. While most finalists
pitched tech solutions, her products were
different: a line of organic crackers stuffed
with nutritious seeds.
During her pitch, Brady knocked
out the judges with a one-two punch—
her products were in 350 stores and her
business, Top Seedz, was already profit-
able. And the taste? "One of the best crack-
ers I've ever had," declared one judge, a
former Peloton board member.
In the end, Top Seedz won the $1 million
grand prize.
"We plan to use the money to build a large facility that
can produce 10 to 20 times what we can now," says Brady, a 2018
graduate of the M&T Bank Minority and Women Emerging
Entrepreneurs program, a joint venture by the School of
Management's Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and UB
Center for Urban Studies. "We've been growing with demand,
but this will allow us to knock on doors and proactively
approach new customers."
Over the next five years, Brady plans to grow Top Seedz
into a $100 million brand that's in 6,500 stores—and do it all
from Buffalo.
"Everyone eventually connects in Buffalo," says Brady,
who grew up in New Zealand and moved here in 2015. "If I have
an issue, I know if I ask enough people, someone will have been
through it before and have the answer I need. Then, I can make
sure I have the answer at the ready when it's my turn to help
others."
School of Management alumni launch and lead pioneer-
ing companies around the globe. But more than that, these
innovators are making an impact on the entrepreneurial scene
wherever they are—paving the way for others, too.
By Matthew Biddle
SETTING
THE STAGE
School of Management alumni
inspire with high-profile success
Alumni Impact
Brady pitches Top Seedz at the 43North competition—all leading to her winning moment, below. Photos: Devin Chavanne and Joshua Koester.
