Dan
Gigante
Chief Technology Officer & PartnerAs the Chief Technology Officer & Partner of 19 Ideas, Dan uses his inspired, forward-thinking perspective and extensive experience to create a company that is always advancing, one step ahead, and where anything is possible. He brings his spark for ideation into every conversation, and continuously embodies the company’s mission to infuse art and science into every piece of the puzzle.
Dan’s deep connections to the community are also what keep him – and his ideas – constantly on the move. He has been an entrepreneur since the age of 10 and has had a dozen ventures within his entrepreneurial portfolio, the most long-term and successful being 19 Ideas, You and Who/26 Shirts, and clevermethod.
Dan is a seasoned web developer, mobile app developer and technical advisor with more than 25 years of experience building custom solutions for a variety of businesses, including Mattel, Birds Eye Foods, Rich Products and North American Breweries. Earlier in his career, Dan co-founded and ran clevermethod, a local web development company, which he helped grow to a Inc. 5000 business. He also founded You and Who, a social-good tee-shirt company Dan launched at SXSW in 2012. Now operating as 26 Shirts, the company has donated more than $1.1 million to local families in need and serves both the Western New York and Chicago regions.
His entrepreneurial spirit has made Dan a tireless advocate for the start-up and tech community in Western New York. He is a founding organizer for Startup Weekend Buffalo and has helped lead teams to first and second place success; represented 43North and served as a mentor at four Startup Weekend events across Seattle, Los Angeles, and Columbus, Ohio; and served as co-chair for BarCamp Buffalo. Dan has spoken about his entrepreneurial success at several well-known events, including D’Youville University’s College Assembly, TedxYouth@Buffalo, and Startup Grind Buffalo, and has been a regular guest speaker at Buffalo State College every semester for both the marketing and ecommerce courses since 2013. In 2020, Dan was a co-instructor for two entrepreneurial courses hosted through University at Buffalo’s Blackstone Launchpad. Additionally, he has regularly served as a guest judge for a number of start-up and entrepreneurial events hosted by University at Buffalo.
Since 2016, Dan has been a Rotarian with the Rotary Club of Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) and has served its board since 2019. BNMC Rotary honored Dan with the Quiet Rotarian award in 2019, an annual recognition that is bestowed to a Rotarian who is a quiet leader – someone who shows up, works behind the scenes and inspires others along the way. Throughout his career, Dan has served on several nonprofit boards, including March of Dimes, American Cancer Society, InfoTech Niagara, and the advisory board for WBFO/WNED. In 2013, Dan was named one of Buffalo Business First’s 40 Under 40.
Dan is a St. Francis High School alumnus and studied computer science at the University at Buffalo. He served in the U.S. Air Force in Alabama from 1994-1998 as a computer programmer.
As the Chief Technology Officer & Partner of 19 Ideas, Dan uses his inspired, forward-thinking perspective and extensive experience to create a company that is always advancing, one step ahead, and where anything is possible. He brings his spark for ideation into every conversation, and continuously embodies the company’s mission to infuse art and science into every piece of the puzzle.
Dan’s deep connections to the community are also what keep him – and his ideas – constantly on the move. He has been an entrepreneur since the age of 10 and has had a dozen ventures within his entrepreneurial portfolio, the most long-term and successful being 19 Ideas, You and Who/26 Shirts, and clevermethod.
Dan is a seasoned web developer, mobile app developer and technical advisor with more than 25 years of experience building custom solutions for a variety of businesses, including Mattel, Birds Eye Foods, Rich Products and North American Breweries. Earlier in his career, Dan co-founded and ran clevermethod, a local web development company, which he helped grow to a Inc. 5000 business. He also founded You and Who, a social-good tee-shirt company Dan launched at SXSW in 2012. Now operating as 26 Shirts, the company has donated more than $1.1 million to local families in need and serves both the Western New York and Chicago regions.
His entrepreneurial spirit has made Dan a tireless advocate for the start-up and tech community in Western New York. He is a founding organizer for Startup Weekend Buffalo and has helped lead teams to first and second place success; represented 43North and served as a mentor at four Startup Weekend events across Seattle, Los Angeles, and Columbus, Ohio; and served as co-chair for BarCamp Buffalo. Dan has spoken about his entrepreneurial success at several well-known events, including D’Youville University’s College Assembly, TedxYouth@Buffalo, and Startup Grind Buffalo, and has been a regular guest speaker at Buffalo State College every semester for both the marketing and ecommerce courses since 2013. In 2020, Dan was a co-instructor for two entrepreneurial courses hosted through University at Buffalo’s Blackstone Launchpad. Additionally, he has regularly served as a guest judge for a number of start-up and entrepreneurial events hosted by University at Buffalo.
Since 2016, Dan has been a Rotarian with the Rotary Club of Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) and has served its board since 2019. BNMC Rotary honored Dan with the Quiet Rotarian award in 2019, an annual recognition that is bestowed to a Rotarian who is a quiet leader – someone who shows up, works behind the scenes and inspires others along the way. Throughout his career, Dan has served on several nonprofit boards, including March of Dimes, American Cancer Society, InfoTech Niagara, and the advisory board for WBFO/WNED. In 2013, Dan was named one of Buffalo Business First’s 40 Under 40.
Dan is a St. Francis High School alumnus and studied computer science at the University at Buffalo. He served in the U.S. Air Force in Alabama from 1994-1998 as a computer programmer.