Thank you for attending the Support from the Start webinar!

If you were unable to attend, or would like to rewatch the webinar please click on the link below.

Watch the Webinar

Webinar Speakers

Peter Burakowski
Senior Associate Director of Startup Ventures
University at Buffalo

Dan Miner
Program Manager for START-UP NY
University at Buffalo

Akruti Babaria
MBA ‘12, BS ‘05
Founder and CEO
Kulture Khazana

David Gonzalez
Co-Founder and CEO
Arbol

Mercedes Wilson
Founder and CEO
Sadie's Relish

More about Cultivator

Cultivator develops early-stage startups to build Western New York's next great companies. Here, startup founders access pre-seed funding and committed mentors who help them level up.

Open to medium- and high-growth startups in the five counties of WNY, Cultivator does not require participating companies to have any prior affiliation to UB.

We help startups build a customized path to success with:

Up to $100k in early-stage funding
Mentorship from entrepreneurs-in-residence and subject matter experts

Co-working space
Connections to investors, customers and talent

Market and customer discovery
Marketing and revenue growth strategy
Fundraising preparation

See other support available to WNY startups at UB.

Testimonials

"All founders are not created equal, and every founder's background is equally diverse. Cultivator is based on practices that dare to level the playing field. What I learned about my company and my ability as a founder — both pitfalls and potentials — was invaluable. Rare is the opportunity for a founder to be supported from advisory, to completion, to investment."

8/26/24

Luanne DiBernardo
Founder & CEO, Oro Sports

Malkijah Griffiths, co-founder, Team Real Talk.

“Entrepreneurs in the Cultivator are at different stages of their businesses. Some have already acquired customers, some are in talks with big players—but the best part about the program is the networking experience and everyone’s desire to help each other. They could introduce you to someone in their network who may be critical to achieving your business objectives. ”

7/27/23

Malkijah Griffiths
Co-founder, Real Talk

“A lot of times in medicine and science, we’ll come up with great ideas in the lab or a new technology or approach and think we’re just going to build this great thing and everybody’s going to want to use it. The Cultivator helped us to define who really has a need for the product we’re providing. ”

5/6/24

Adam Utley
PhD, founder & CEO, Immunaeon

“Cultivator was a game-changer for us. We came into the program with an idea, and a few months later, we launched the company with seed funding. Through our affiliation with Cultivator, we have developed a network of friends, mentors, investors, and advisers who have given us invaluable guidance, support, and introductions. This network has played a crucial role in the current development of Arbol. ”

5/6/24

Favio Osorio
Co-founder & President, Arbol

"Early-stage support is essential to the success of a business. This becomes even more critical as a founder of color. Programs such as the Cultivator, START-UP NY, and the intern program each allowed me to focus on different aspects of my startup, provided me with top-notch assistance and helped me mitigate early-stage failure."

8/26/24

Derrick Parson

Founder and CEO, Latte

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