Get Seeded!

money growing from seeds in a garden.

Need some funding to get your idea off the ground? Monthly Get Seeded! pitch events are for aspiring student entrepreneurs. Sign up to pitch live at the event, where the audience decides who gets funded!

Students apply to pitch for  $500 and $250 in funding. At the event, the audience votes using the Slido App (bring your friends!) and the winners are announced on site! Get Seeded! is sponsored by Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars, UB Business and Entrepreneur Partnerships and Hillel of Buffalo.

Guidelines

  • Applications/teams selected to pitch are accepted based on a first come, first served basis
  • Pitches will be timed and may last no longer than 2 minutes
  • No props or slides used
  • One person must be designated via the application to pitch
  • A specific milestone must be identified tied to the funding “ask”
  • Applicants must schedule a venture coaching appointment with Blackstone LaunchPad no more than 1 week following the event.
  • Blackstone LaunchPad reserves the right to make pitch selection based on appropriateness and award as many or as few prizes as it deems suitable.

Judging Criteria

  • Does the student describe the idea and the problem that it solves clearly?
  • Is the idea the appropriate solution for the problem it’s solving?
  • Has the student conducted a sufficient amount of research?
  • Has the student identified customers for his or her idea?
  • Has the student performed the proper amount of validation to ensure there is interest in the idea?
  • Is the student’s idea sufficiently differentiated from similar ideas?
  • Has the student identified a milestone tied to the funding “ask”?
  • Is this the appropriate milestone for developing the idea into a viable business?
  • Is this the appropriate amount of funding for the student to complete the milestone?

Interested in Pitching?

Spring 2023 applications are now open.  The deadline to apply is April 7, 2023.

Spring 2023 Get Seeded Application

Interested in Sponsoring?

Email launchpadub@buffalo.edu or call 716-645-8111 to speak to a staff member at the Blackstone LaunchPad.