For Faculty & Staff

Faculty and staff are essential partners in fostering a culture of entrepreneurship on campus and in creating opportunities to engage and empower students in a non-classroom setting. With unique experiences across all disciplines and industries, UB’s faculty and staff are the motivators and liaisons who help our student entrepreneurs propel their innovations forward.

Many start-ups and business plan competitions require individuals and teams to have a faculty sponsor or referral. Sponsors work closely with students and offer advice, mentorship and coaching as students prepare and compete. Your insights and expertise will provide actionable feedback on business ideas to help students along their entrepreneurial journey.

From hosts to judges, challenge designers to moderators, faculty and staff play a huge role in some of our most impactful workshops, competitions and events including Pitch for a Purpose, 3-Minute Thesis, Innovation Sprints, Design Challenges and Inclusive Launch programs. We handle all the planning; all you need to do is lend your time and expertise.

The UB community and Western New York’s growing entrepreneurial ecosystem are priceless resources for student innovators, and faculty and staff are often the ones who facilitate these important introductions. We’re always looking for ideas and connections to expand the resource network available to entrepreneurial students, whether that’s partnering with businesses and organizations in the community, promoting outside events, making it easier for companies to access UB talent, or linking student ideas with research and information available right here on campus.

As you look to add innovation to your programming and curriculum to prepare students for future contributions to the growing idea economy, we’re here to help.