“It puts us on the map,” said Jack McGowan, executive director of the Western New York Venture Association, which focuses on Buffalo, New York’s second-largest metro area.From Albany to Ithaca to Rochester to Buffalo, Not New York City has long known itself to be a region rich in major research universities, tech and healthtech employers, and entrepreneurial talent.Deals are getting doneStill, we don’t want to create the impression that Not New York City is bereft of startup investment.Ecovative, which stitched up a $60 million Series D last year, develops mycelium-based materials for industries including fabric, food and packaging.Cold winters, cheap housingUpstate and western New York may not be the most obvious locales for startup founders to scale."