Brown and white ventures

LATEST NEWS

June 08, 2026

Hello Package Sizing Up How Humans Robots Best Serve Delivery Space

Ask Hello Package CEO Paul Favorov about this company's next five years, he'll tell you it's not about reducing spending. Favorov believes in futureproofing his package delivery logistics systems. "IT's building an operating layer that adapts as the technology, the labor, and the buildings themselves change," Favorov said. And according to Favorov, In high-density real estate, the question was never humans or robots. It's how they work together — and the intelligence that decides where one ends and the other begins. Hello Package began simulating this balance — alongside the team at ObotX - open source universal robots, building open-source universal robots. Video of this cutting-edge ObotX design is being introduced to the public for the first time. A video showing the model at work was released by Hello Package.

RECENT NEWS

A Year After Move to WNY, KAV Leans In To Momentum With New Silvo Helmet

Buffalo's Silo City rises around KAV Helmet's micro-fab operation. Century-old grain silos - the largest collection of them in the world - form the backdrop in which KAV's evolves. Their durability and history so inspired company leaders that they named KAV's newest 3D-printed cycling helmet after it. KAV's Silvo helmet is designed to bring intelligent fit, adaptive performance, and safety into a ready-to-wear platform built for everyday riding, according to KAV CEO and Founder Whitman Kwok. “Silvo begins where most helmets don’t: with real head data,” Kwok said. “We wanted to create a helmet that preserved the intelligence and structural philosophy behind KAV while making the ownership experience faster, simpler, and more accessible to more riders.” Orders for KAV's Silvo helmet are part of the next signpost the company approaches in a journey that began in Silicon Valley, turned east after winning $1 million in 43North's Year Nine cohort in 2023, then rolled toward Western New York. Silvo's launch comes a year after KAV pushed production into Buffalo's Old First Ward. KAV created ten new jobs in the region since moving from Redwood City, California. It operates one of the largest 3D printing operations in the northeastern United States. And from those more than 200 printers rolls Silvo, KAV's first ready-to-wear cycling helmet, which delivers the company's Five Star Virginia Tech safety features with customized fitting. "What's exciting isn't any one of those milestones on its own. What's exciting is watching a small team build an advanced manufacturing operation around a technology many people still consider a prototyping tool," said Alex Greening, KAV's Director of Operations. Grenning, a medtech engineering lead before arriving at KAV, studied at both UB and Canisius. He leads the floor at KAV's plant where, prior to Silvo production, the company printed its Rhoan cycling helmets. Rhoan, made for professional cyclists and those who ride as a way of life, comes together when KAV applies an AI algorithm to a single selfie of a customer's head. KAV's process builds each customer a one-of-a-kind helmet that fits them, and them only. While KAV does not apply the same process in making Silvo, the new helmet is unlike traditional helmet sizing systems that simply scale shells up or down. Silvo was shaped using thousands of real-world head scans collected through KAV’s custom-fit program. The result is a ready-to-wear fit system designed to feel more stable, natural, and consistent across a broader range of riders. Grenning's overseen the first stoch-building run of Silvo helmets and reports production times drastically reduced, compared to KAV's previous helmet lines. "Every day, I get to work alongside people who show up ready to take on new challenges, solve problems, and push the business forward," Greening said. The ready-to-wear Silvo will be available at the company's website for $200, moving KAV into an expansive stratum of the bike helmet market. "Watching that effort translate into products that customers trust and rely on is incredibly rewarding. "I'm proud of the team, proud of the technology, and proud that we're building it in Buffalo," Greening said.

June 03, 2026

Pharmacies Prescribe Connective Care Through wellconnected Pilot

When wellconnected talks about using software to improve the lives of community members who need help, this is what it means. A pilot project led by the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is demonstrating how community-based pharmacies can play a meaningful role in connecting people to social care. Using the wellconnected 'allco' platform, participating pharmacies screened nearly 300 community members during the program's first several months and generated more than 80 closed-loop referrals to nonprofit organizations and social service providers. Those referrals address challenges such as food insecurity, housing instability, transportation barriers and other social determinants of health that can significantly affect quality of life. “Because community pharmacies are deeply embedded in local neighborhoods, they capture vulnerable individuals who may not regularly see a primary care doctor, injecting vital social data into the broader WNY healthcare ecosystem,” said Steven Butzler, wellconnected’s community engagement lead. The initiative launched in late 2025 based on a simple idea: pharmacies are among the most trusted and accessible points of contact in the healthcare system. For many people, they are a regular touchpoint that can help identify challenges beyond medication and medical care. Through allco, pharmacy staff conduct standardized social needs screenings and make secure digital referrals to community-based organizations equipped to provide assistance. The platform also allows those referrals to be tracked through resolution, creating accountability and helping ensure community members receive the support they need. The project has gained momentum across participating pharmacies throughout Western New York. Vital Pharmacy currently leads the network in screenings, with strong participation from partners including Middleport Family Health Center and Black Rock Pharmacy. The University at Buffalo is also working to connect the initiative to HEALTHeLINK, the region's health information exchange. That integration would allow social care needs and referral outcomes to be viewed alongside clinical information, creating a more complete picture of patient well-being for healthcare providers. The early results demonstrate both the need for these services and the value of creating structured referral pathways within trusted community settings. By meeting people where they already receive care, pharmacies can become an important bridge between healthcare and social support systems. We are grateful to the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, and participating pharmacy partners for their leadership on this project. Together, they are helping create a more connected and responsive system of care for the people who need it most. ### About us: wellconnected was formed in 2021 as a mission-driven startup aiming to create a better social safety net for the people in our society who need help. Through its ‘allco’ software, the company brings a networked enterprise platform to a fractious and inefficient industry, driving collaboration between nonprofits and their funders. wellconnected has expanded into the states of New York, New Jersey, West Virginia and Illinois, where government entities and foundations are driving adoption to thousands of nonprofits. Those interested in learning more can reach out to wellconnected CEO Duane Conners at duane@getwellconnected.co.

June 02, 2026

KAV Introduces Silvo: A New Approach to Adaptive Performance and Ready-to-Ride Fit

KAV Helmets has announced the launch of the Silvo, a new 3D-printed cycling helmet designed to bring intelligent fit, adaptive performance, and five-star safety into a ready-to-wear platform built for everyday riding. Named after Buffalo’s historic Silo City — where reinforced concrete reshaped modern industrial architecture — Silvo reflects KAV’s continued focus on structural energy management, domestic manufacturing, and rider-first performance design. Unlike traditional helmet sizing systems that simply scale shells up or down, Silvo was shaped using thousands of real-world head scans collected through KAV’s custom-fit program. The result is a ready-to-wear fit system designed to feel more stable, natural, and consistent across a broader range of riders. “Silvo begins where most helmets don’t — with real head data,” said Whitman Kwok, Founder and CEO of KAV Helmets. “We wanted to create a helmet that preserved the intelligence and structural philosophy behind KAV while making the ownership experience faster, simpler, and more accessible to more riders.” The Silvo earned a 5-Star Virginia Tech Helmet Rating through a newly engineered structural energy management system that manages both direct and rotational impacts within the helmet’s 3D-printed structure itself. At the core of the helmet is a new adaptive hexagonal architecture engineered to respond differently depending on impact angle and force. Rather than relying on traditional EPS foam construction, Silvo uses tuned crumple zones, controlled shearing behavior, and a reinforced internal structure designed to dissipate energy across a wide range of real-world impact scenarios. Silvo also introduces a new approach to rotational impact management within KAV’s lineup by shifting angular response outward through engineered structural slotting integrated directly into the helmet’s outer lattice geometry. Beyond safety, the Silvo was designed around thermal consistency and all-day ride performance. Its open internal structure, central airflow channel, and suspended fit system work together to maintain airflow across the scalp without excessive bulk or insulation trapping heat. Additional features include: 5-Star Virginia Tech Helmet Rating Made in USA manufacturing Adaptive ready-to-wear sizing shaped from thousands of head scans New wraparound retention system with self-adjusting rear cradle Updated 3D-printed structural energy management system Improved thermal airflow architecture Reinforced edge construction and tighter manufacturing tolerances Ready-to-ship fulfillment model The Silvo is manufactured in KAV’s Buffalo, New York facility and represents the company’s first ready-to-wear helmet platform following years of focus on fully custom-fit products. The Silvo launches at $200 USD and will be available in Black, White, Grey, and Blue colorways. For more information, visit kavhelmets.com. KAV Helmets is a Buffalo-based cycling helmet company focused on advanced additive manufacturing, structural energy management, and rider-specific performance design. Every KAV helmet is manufactured in the USA using proprietary 3D-printing processes developed to improve fit, airflow, protection, and real-world riding comfort.

May 26, 2026

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