Startup Insights & Stories

Expert advice, practical lessons and inspiring successes from our startups, founders and mentors.

EXPERT ADVICE

What is a SAFE in venture capital investing?

A Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE) offers early-stage startups a flexible investment option, providing funds in exchange for future equity when the business grows. Learn more about what a SAFE is, how it works, and about UB's standard terms for investments made through its Cultivator program.

STARTUP STORIES

Three 43North semifinalists are from Buffalo, all benefit from UB's startup support

Western New York's startup ecosystem and greater WNY community come together every fall for 43North’s annual startup competition, where 16 semi-finalists pitch and five high-growth companies walk away with $1M each. In 2024, three of the 16 semi-finalists hail from Buffalo, all of which have been supported in various ways by UB's startup initiatives.

Arbol's app is a portable financial coach, providing accessible and engaging tools for students to manage their finances effectively.

STARTUP SPOTLIGHT

Meet Arbol

Meet Arbol, a Buffalo-based startup that helps colleges and universities retain financially vulnerable students and reduce student debt. Arbol's team has seen significant progress in the early stages of business, in part with support from mentors, funding, and resources available at the University at Buffalo.

EXPERT ADVICE

Increase chances of startup success by avoiding these 5 common legal mistakes

By being aware of – and avoiding – the top five legal mistakes startups make, entrepreneurs can increase their chances of building a successful business.

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What is a SAFE?

Diverse teams create opportunities for startups to succeed

Founders should consider diversity from the very beginning. Studies have shown that diverse companies are more successful, diversity leads to healthy disagreement that makes teams better, and there is even evidence that startup teams with female founders perform better than all-male teams.

Increase chances of startup success by avoiding these 5 common legal mistakes

By being aware of – and avoiding – the following top five legal mistakes startups make, entrepreneurs can increase their chances of building a successful business.

Growing your startup: How and when to find co-founders and go full time

As a founder of a startup, you’ve probably been told that it’s important to find co-founders and that eventually you need to go full time if you want your business to grow. But many struggle with how and when to make these leaps. Asking someone to join you on the journey sounds like the biggest sale you’ll ever make. Raising the stakes by letting go of a job that feeds your family sounds even harder. Yet every founding team has done it.

Coworking, incubators and accelerators… what’s the difference?

From working out of a garage to relocating for an industry-specific accelerator program, startups have more options than ever about where to work and how to build their businesses. Among the most popular are coworking spaces, business incubators and accelerators. Although they are all designed around the same mission, key differences separate them.