Thinking about starting a company? As Buffalo’s resurgence blossoms, some say there’s never been a better time. From life sciences and advanced manufacturing to software and artificial intelligence, The City of Light is brewing more than most realize. In the background, countless forward-thinking people and organizations with big ideas have laid the groundwork and built a solid foundation to support the community’s dreamers and doers.
Along with other entrepreneurial support organizations, the University at Buffalo (UB) has resources available to catalyze startups — and not just ones that originate on campus. UB also takes in, supports and partners with founders and new ventures in the community. It is a place where discovery abounds and where startups make meaningful connections to create lasting impacts in Western New York (WNY) and beyond.
As a leading public research institution, UB is a powerhouse of intellectual talent that can be unleashed to help startups in their early stages. The University’s Office of Business and Entrepreneur Partnerships has added a startup support team — dedicated to increasing the success rate and velocity of the region's startups — and startup services, including a new incubator downtown.
Between access to a world-class talent and expert pool, affordable lab and office space in Buffalo's medical corridor and a vast network of partners, mentors, collaborators and supporters, entrepreneurs who work with UB accelerate innovations into profitable ventures.
But how do entrepreneurs tap into all these resources? UB’s Director of Startup Ventures, Rick Gardner, along with Startup Client Managers Richard Kim and David Thiemecke, answer the most frequently asked questions about UB’s initiatives to cultivate Buffalo’s startup ecosystem.
At UB, how do you support entrepreneurs and startups? What resources are available?
Rick Gardner (RG): UB offers a full suite of startup support from coaching and mentoring to cohort-based acceleration programs, to pre-seed and seed funding, to investor networks and customer connections. We help you refine your business idea, prototype your product, understand the market potential and identify your potential customers. We help you drive towards a significant inflection point — usually your next round of funding to get your idea off the ground. We facilitate connections to a network that can help you be successful.
Richard Kim (RK): We have a lot of assets in place, such as our two incubators and WIN (WNY Incubator Network), where startups can access programs like innovation sprints with student teams. And with over 30,000 students, we have a ton of talented students who have a passion for innovation and working with growing companies in Buffalo. So, when a startup begins working with us, we put them down the right path, connecting them with the appropriate resources for their business.
Who is eligible for this support? Do I have to be a UB student or faculty?
RG: We serve startups formed by UB students, faculty or alumni that have a presence in WNY, or regional startups that have or want to form a deep connection to one of the Innovation Hub Partners — UB, Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute, Jacobs Institute, Kaleida Health or Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. We also serve any innovation or startup idea that comes from these IHUB partners.
David Thiemecke (DT): In terms of company stage, we support everyone from the novice innovator with a new idea to the founder who is ready to grow and scale. Ultimately, we seek any entrepreneur who shares our passion for innovation, diversity and collaboration. We have a wide range of inclusive support available, so if you’re unsure about eligibility, reach out to us.
How is startup ventures building diversity, equity and inclusion into its initiatives?
RG: Diversity, equity and inclusion are a fundamental component of our belief system. We know, and data shows, that diverse teams demonstrate increased innovation and outperform homogenous teams. The more that we can help to build, support and facilitate diverse teams working on challenging problems to address inequities, the more successful we will be, the teams will be, and Buffalo will be.
What types of startups does UB support? Share some examples from your portfolio.
RG: UB is technology and industry agnostic. While we have a lot of specialized resources for life sciences companies, we serve a much broader audience. Our portfolio covers everything from software applications and AI, to materials and new manufacturing processes, to renewable energy.
DT: Instead of serving companies by industry, we look to serve teams who are dedicated to growing in WNY, value diversity as a strength and have an innovative business model or product.
RK: Examples include software company MemoryFox; Channavix, a therapeutics company working on non-opioid pain relief; POP Biotechnologies, who is testing their COVID-19 vaccine in South Korean clinical trials; HELIXIntel, one of the first startups in our new incubator; health care software platforms Opollo and QAS.AI; and sleep apnea app Ognomy.
Does UB have funding available for startups?
RG: Yes. We are structured to provide funding and resources to early-stage startups, and all of our programs help them drive toward successfully acquiring that funding.
How does UB fit into the growing startup ecosystem in Buffalo?
RG: The unique thing UB brings to our community is access to the university’s core of expertise and talent. Let’s say, for example, there’s a startup that has a software idea, and they’re pretty sure the use of artificial intelligence is going to be a key part, but they’re not sure what to do next. We can connect them with a core group of people at UB who are experts in artificial intelligence.
RK: Our role is to be a platform where people can build a community. We’re here to cultivate and build good companies with good founders, who will make an impact in our community.
How can community members get involved with startups at UB?
RG: There are a number of different ways you can engage with a startup team — joining the team, serving as a mentor, or even starting your own company by taking an existing technology and founding a team. Existing companies looking for new ways to innovate or see what new ventures are working on can connect with us as well.
DT: Our new downtown incubator, the Incubator@CBLS, has a large, high-tech event space where we’ll hold community events once it’s safe to do so, and the community can access and use the space for their own events as well. We want to find the entrepreneur who doesn’t yet even know she’s an entrepreneur, so we invite you to come in, see how we can help, and move your idea forward.
Learn more and connect with UB's Business and Entrepreneur Partnerships (BEP) startup support team.
UB BEP connects academia and industry to collaborate on research development, commercialize new technology and provide access to talent pipelines. These research and entrepreneurial initiatives enable businesses to solve current and future problems, leading to local, national and global impact.