TechBuffalo launches Innovation Fellows to accelerate tech-based learning in local classrooms

Press Release

A major new initiative will dramatically expand Western New York students’ access to hands-on tech learning opportunities. The Innovation Fellows program will create a corps of local educators equipped to expand STEM learning in their schools. TechBuffalo is launching this initiative with support from the 43North Foundation and Microsoft. Applications for interested teachers are now open.

The Innovation Fellows program will engage skilled educators in providing opportunities for students to explore pathways into tech. Participating teachers will receive training, stipends and grants to advance tech-based classroom learning throughout the 2025-26 school year. The Innovation Fellows will lead afterschool clubs and host “Family Code Nights,” building on an extremely successful TechBuffalo program that facilitates tech learning through the popular video game Minecraft.

Educators working with grades K-8 are eligible to apply to become Innovation Fellows. TechBuffalo will select 20 educators in the first year, with 10 slots reserved for Buffalo Public School teachers and 10 available to all K-8 teachers throughout Erie, Niagara, Allegany, Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties.

“Fostering local innovation and technology talent starts in our schools,” said Jeffrey Botteron, president and CEO of TechBuffalo. “We want to help establish a community where our classrooms can become a launchpad for curiosity, creativity, and real-world impact.”

The Innovation Fellows initiative represents an exciting expansion of TechBuffalo’s existing community-based STEM programming. With the support of Microsoft, TechBuffalo launched “Family Code Nights” in February 2024. Since then, it has introduced more than 500 students and their families to coding.

This focus on STEM education in classrooms aligns well with the 43North Foundation’s goal to build the talent pipeline in Buffalo to support the region’s burgeoning tech sector.

“Today’s students are tomorrow’s innovators, and this initiative empowers teachers to prepare them for the future,” said Bill Maggio, chairman of the 43North Foundation. “Strengthening our local talent pipeline is a key part of the 43North Foundation’s plan for accelerating the entrepreneurial momentum in our community. We are thrilled to pursue this vision with partners like TechBuffalo, a premier organization for developing tech talent.”

At the end of the school year, students working with the Innovation Fellows will participate in a Minecraft Global Build Challenge, where students battle for prizes in a large-scale competition involving a Minecraft version of the City of Buffalo custom built by Microsoft. Top students will be invited to TechBuffalo summer bootcamps to grow their skills, explore their interest in tech, and meet kids of varied backgrounds with shared interests.

“Empowering families to explore technology together in ways that feel local, relevant and fun is exactly what we need more of,” said Ariana Caplan Marra, Microsoft director of state and local government affairs. “The expansion of TechBuffalo’s ‘Family Code Night,’ first launched through the Microsoft TechSpark Fellowship, shows how community-rooted programs can spark curiosity and build confidence in the digital skills that shape our future.”

Educators interested in applying or learning more about the Innovation Fellows program can reach out to Rachel Eastlack, tech programs manager for TechBuffalo, at reastlack@techbuffalo.org.

TechBuffalo is a nonprofit organization that strives to create a sustainable, inclusive and accessible technology community for Western New York by improving our region’s ability to attract, retain and foster technology talent.