Buffalo Inno has selected five startups to watch in 2025, representing startups on a path to sustaining a lucrative business. This year, all five have been supported by the University at Buffalo in various ways.
- Kulture Khazana is a graduate of UB's Cultivator program. As the article reports, four types of Kulture Khazana products hit the shelves at 11 Macy's stores and are available on Macy's website. The company, founded in 2018, also sells online at Nordstrom, Walmart, Target and Amazon.
- Rarebird, a recent winner 43North, has been supported by UB through New York State's tax incentive program, START-UP NY. The company, which makes a patented coffee with a caffeine replacement, is relocating from San Francisco to Buffalo and leasing lab space at the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.
- Strideful, another Cultivator graduate company, has raised funds and launched its app since officially forming as a company just a year ago in January 2024.
- Jeca Energy Bars, which completed Cultivator in 2023, has expanded from three regional stores to 22 Whole Foods stores and doubled gross sales over the last 12 months as of summer.
- Peeva, a pet-microchipping company, has also been supported by UB through START-UP NY. The business has seen year-over-year growth and added hundreds of thousands of customers.
Read more about the five growing startups.