Career Design Center & Entrepreneurship

The CoLab is a campus-based entrepreneurship and innovation center that empowers students to realize solutions for the global and local challenges of our time. Part startup incubator and part idea-sharing center, it connects students to mentors, events, funding and experiences that cultivate the skills and mindset to build successful companies or innovate competitively in careers within any organization.

The Henry A. Panasci Jr. Technology Entrepreneurship Competition was created by the UB School of Management and the UB Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach. Funded with a $1 million endowment from the late Henry A. Panasci Jr., the program brings together UB students from science, technology, business and other disciplines to maximize their potential and create viable businesses in Western New York.

The Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL) recognizes and supports the power of entrepreneurship to launch human potential, inspire innovation, produce jobs and generate wealth. Advancing entrepreneurship is vital to invigorating the university, the surrounding community and the greater Western New York economy. The CEL provides an individualized and interactive education in entrepreneurship. Designed by entrepreneurs and for entrepreneurs, the CEL is based on proven principles, centered on best and next practices and backed by the thought leadership of the UB School of Management.

The UB Technology Transfer office facilitates the transfer of UB discoveries into enterprises that create value and provide products and services that benefit the public good. Technology Transfer collaborates with UB’s economic development-focused organizations to foster partnerships between UB and the business community and can assist you with:

• Patent applications
• Preliminary business plans for patent-pending technologies
• Access to UB technology incubators
• Direction to appropriate resources for entrepreneurs of startup companies

43North is the world’s largest business idea competition and part of New York’s Buffalo Billion initiative, which is driving new economic opportunities throughout Buffalo and Western New York. 43North gives out $5 million in cash prizes each year to some of the best and brightest entrepreneurs and startups from around the globe.

Buffalo Startup Weekend brings together entrepreneurial students, faculty and alumni to share business ideas, form teams, create prototypes and receive feedback from experienced entrepreneurs over the course of three days.

START-UP NY helps new and expanding businesses through tax-based incentives and innovative academic partnerships. START-UP NY offers new and expanding businesses the opportunity to operate tax-free for 10 years on or near eligible university or college campuses in New York State. Partnering with these schools gives businesses direct access to advanced research laboratories, development resources and experts in key industries. 

The Buffalo-Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) is home to a growing Western New York innovation community. Their IC Success Programs helps get new business ideas of the ground, and their Eforever partnerships provides ongoing support for established small businesses in the area. BNMC also provides workspaces and innovation services. 

During one week each November, Global Entrepreneurship Week inspires people everywhere through local, national and global activities designed to help them explore their potential as self-starters and innovators. These activities, from large-scale competitions and events to intimate networking gatherings, connect participants to potential collaborators, mentors and even investors—introducing them to new possibilities and exciting opportunities. The UB Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership organizes all the activities during this week.

The Buffalo Student Sandbox is a summer accelerator for scalable, disruptive ventures led by college and graduate students.  The nine week accelerator will select promising teams of student entrepreneurs, provide them with seed funding, stipends, and mentors as they compete for cash prizes at the end of the program.

The WNY Incubator Network is a collaborative network of incubators and entrepreneurial service providers across Western New York that are working together to turn our region into a hub of entrepreneurial activity. WIN collaborators share best practices and networking, mentoring, educational and financial resources to better assist incubator client companies.