By Michael Petro,Mike Petro News Business Reporter

Copyright buffalonews

A Buffalo AI-driven behavioral and mental health platform is among 16 semifinalists for this year’s 43North competition.

Integral Health will vie for one of five $1 million prizes as part of the startup pitch competition, with finals being held Oct. 16 at Shea’s Performing Arts Center.

Integral Health leverages artificial intelligence to integrate behavioral health with primary care, aiming to improve patient engagement and outcomes through personalized, data-driven mental health support. Founder MJ Chey moved to Buffalo from San Francisco earlier this year to help create traction for what is now her fourth startup.

This comes a year after Buffalo food tech startup Food Nerd won the competition, and three startups from Western New York were part of the semifinals.

43North, now in its 11th year backed by state funding, has become one of the nation’s most prominent contests for early-stage companies, and the competition has only become fiercer each year.

This year, around 900 startups applied, and the quality of the companies keeps getting better, according to 43North officials.

The latest cohort includes two companies from London – one returns to the 43North stage as a semifinalist – and four startups from the West Coast. Many of the startups leverage artificial intelligence to help solve a problem. This year’s group spans industries from cleantech and fintech to advanced manufacturing and digital health.

“The caliber of this year’s semifinalists reflects the ever-evolving strength and momentum of Buffalo’s startup ecosystem,” said Colleen Heidinger, president of 43North. “We’re seeing applicants from across the globe, including two semifinalists from the U.K., and we’re especially proud to have a Buffalo-based startup among the top 16. It’s a powerful reminder that world-class innovation can emerge from anywhere − and increasingly, it’s happening right here in Western New York.”

43North, which started as an idea by the state to ignite Buffalo’s startup and tech ecosystem, has become a catalyst for the growth of innovation in the area.

Winning startups are required to move to Western New York for one year and give up 5% equity in their companies in exchange for $1 million and a plethora of resources, as well as mentorship, provided by 43North. A cohesive effort is made to help these companies grow and scale and encourage them to stay and continue to do so in Western New York.

Last year, there was a record high approximately 1,000 applications and the year prior, that number was around 950.

The quality of the companies applying continues to get stronger each year, Heidinger previously said. Of this year’s applicants, 40% have raised external capital, most of them are at over $1 million.

This year’s applicants include 47 from Western New York. Of the total applicants, 25% are women founders and 70% identified as non-white.

“43North continues to attract world-class startups that don’t just do business here, they plant roots and become part of the fabric of Western New York,” said Gov. Kathy Hochul. “With the momentum building across this region, more founders are choosing Buffalo as the place to grow, create jobs and fuel innovation.

The other 2025 43North semifinalists are:

• Cellsense of New York City, which transforms algae and cellulose into compostable beads that eliminate microplastics across the fashion and cosmetic industries.

• Cosi Care of London is returning to the 43North competition. It has created medical devices that offer instant itch relief and a safe alternative to scratching and infection management, for those living with eczema or any chronic itch.

• FelixFusion of San Francisco, a full-stack AI-powered aggregator helping midsized vendors win government contracts.

• Floe of New Haven, Conn., which offers a smart, cost-effective, and eco-friendly solution for ice and snow management on roofs.

• Flye Connect of Tulsa, Okla., a marketplace where AI agents are hired to complete business tasks on demand.

• Greenlit of New York City, an AI-enabled back-office platform for the media and entertainment industry that simplifies workflows, contracting, financing, tax incentives and revenue management.

• Imaginario.ai of London, which offers a multimodal video productivity engine and AI agents that make it easy to curate, understand and alter video footage.

• Kinometrix of Alexandria, Va., which uses AI to power real-time clinical decision support, helping hospitals accurately identify patient risk and reduce harm, costs and burnout, starting with inpatient falls.

• Legacy of San Diego, which provides a data layer that enables health systems to provide personalized care by learning about the patient and turning that into actionable insights for the clinical care team.

• Modica of Louisville, Ky., maker of a mixologist-crafted cocktail and mocktail mixers using clean ingredients.

• Precious Creatures of Portland, Ore., a maker of healthy pet food.

• RadEmploy of New York City, a radiology staffing platform that leverages conversational AI to efficiently connect radiology professionals with large hospital systems.

• Solum Health of San Francisco, which automates intake, insurance verification and scheduling for therapy clinics using AI.

• Theta Neurotech of Chicago, which makes wearable patches for monitoring and informing the treatment of neurological diseases, helping alert and predict patients with epilepsy about seizures.

• Tukki.ai of Miami, which combines AI and expert support to help immigrants and companies manage visas and green cards efficiently and improving the overall experience.

Chey, who grew up in a military family and served in the Korean Navy, was led to start Integral Health after losing some of her comrades to mental health issues and suicide during her time enlisted.

It began a journey into how to build access for all people to get help before they are in crisis that now has taken Chey to Western New York, where she has partnered with some key players in the health care industry. That includes signing with Independent Health as its latest enterprise customer. Integral Health also closed a $3 million seed funding round this year.

The company has about 30 employees, most of them in New York City, with a team of five in Buffalo. Chey previously said she would like to grow that number in Western New York and increase the company’s local presence.