Ah, the most wonderful time of the year. The snow, the hustle and bustle of holiday parties, last minute shopping (***reminder to self***), that push to close deals before the New Year, family obligations, etc. It can all make your calendar feel like Tetris before game over. Fortunately, we have seasonal traditions like eggnog and a Tom & Jerry to help get us through. Just add brandy. And of course, there are plenty of startup events to get you away from your loved ones for an hour or so!

So without further delay, here are my top startup events before we ring in the New Year:

Open coffee clubhere. Also keep an eye out for Open cocktail club. Same idea but with…well…you get the idea.

: Tuesdays at 7:30 a.m. at Rowhouse. This is a great event now hosted by Techstars Buffalo for anyone interested in getting more exposure to the startup community. Come enjoy a coffee in a casual open environment. Meetup details are

Founders table

: Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. at JAM Parkside. This is an event geared specifically to founders in the Buffalo area. The facilitated round table format provides founders with an opportunity to discuss challenges they face and possible solutions in a confidential and empathetic format. This is not a venue for sales so leave the elevator pitch at the door.

Startup Grind. here. 

Startup Grind Buffalo Welcomes Amy and Michael Lesakowski of The 11 Day Power Play for a fireside chat about how a personal battle with cancer helped launch the 11 Day Power Play and raise over $4MM to help cancer causes throughout the community. More information can be found

LaunchNY #LaunchHour Twitter Chat. 

For the last few years, LaunchNY has hosted a monthly Twitter Chat highlighting some great topics for entrepreneurs in WNY. From raising capital to empowering female founders, this is a staple event now in our community. The next #LaunchHour is "The Power of Give First", December 18 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm. This will feature some great collaboration with Techstars powerhouse Chris Heively and WNY's very own Clark Dever. So grab some nog and your favorite ugly Christmas sweater and learn about how #GiveFirst can create lasting change. Just follow #LaunchHour to join the conversation.

Open office Tine.

www.openofficetime.com. Open office hours was one of the first things Techstars recommended we kickoff here in Buffalo back in March. I’m happy to stay that what started as Alex Gress and myself this past spring has blossomed into over 40 entrepreneurs and community leaders and now even has its own website. Make sure to take advantage of this incredible asset or consider signing up and giving whatever time you can. This is all about helping people with no expectation in return.

Interested in starting an event yourself? It can be as simple as a meetup or as complicated as you want to make it! The only thing stopping you is you! Already hosting an event you want to help get the word out about? Send me the details and I’ll share it. I’ll try to do this at least monthly.

Interested in attending? Grab a friend and bring them along. Together we’ll make Buffalo a better place to work, live and play, one person at a time. #GiveFirst