BUFFALO — For more than seven years, Whitman Kwok has worked to develop his company's cutting-edge process to make customized cycling helmets using 3D printers.
Now, he's about to open a new manufacturing facility — not in Silicon Valley, where he started his business, but in Buffalo.
"The people are great," Kwok said of Western New Yorkers.
Kwok's company, KAV, was one of the $1 million winners of 43North's startup competition in 2023.
He's leasing about 7,000 square feet of space inside a massive former plant at 225 Louisiana Street in the Old First Ward.
"This space is going to have an order of magnitude larger amount of volume, and it will be 90% of our production capacity moving forward and has a lot of legroom to grow," Kwok said.
He gave me an exclusive tour of the space, which you can see in the video player above.
Beyond the financing from 43North, KAV has also received a sizable investment from a unique fund. Brown and White Ventures is a private venture capital fund that invests in startups, with 10% of the net profits going to the School of Business at St. Bonaventure University.
"We are joining KAV in the midst of their rise," said Jim Aroune, co-founder of the fund. "The opening of this factory is a dynamic, important step, not only to move the business of making bicycle helmets, but also in the process of introducing KAV's amazing breakthrough manufacturing process."
Aroune said KAV fits in with the mission of the fund, which has been built by St. Bonaventure alumni.
"It is based on improving health, this is the safety of those who use the helmets that they produce," Aroune explained. "It is run by an amazing founder. It is committed to this region."
Kwok has already hired around a half dozen Western New York employees and plans to quickly expand.
"Sales have been fantastic," Kwok said. "We are fundamentally supply limited at this point. We cannot produce helmets fast enough...so this factory obviously dovetails directly into that strategy."
The fully customizable helmets have been available for purchase online at kavsports.com, but they'll also eventually be available to buy at the manufacturing facility, which will feature a unique retail space.
