For Alumni & Friends

Donating your time and expertise to the Startup & Innovation CoLab powered by Blackstone LaunchPad is a great way to engage and empower current students to pursue meaningful careers with an innovation mindset.

Promote your entrepreneurial events to students, alumni and friends of UB. Or find motivated undergraduate, graduate or PhD. students in different disciplines to help round out your team as interns or employees. 

Your expertise can make a difference with the next generation of entrepreneurs. Through 15-minute remote consultations as a one-on-one Expert-In-Residence, UB alumni and friends give students the industry insights, feedback and actionable improvements that can help hone their ideas.  

Whether speaking individually to a small group or serving as a panelist during one of our workshops, entrepreneurs and others in the community can pass on invaluable experience. 

From hosts to judges, challenge designers to sponsors, UB alumni and friends 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 University at Buffalo plays an integral role in furthering the economic development of Western New York, and the UB community and Western New York’s growing entrepreneurial ecosystem are priceless resources for student innovators. Alumni and friends often 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 or making it easier for companies to access UB talent.

Whether you’re a business owner who has been touched by our programs, an investor looking for fresh opportunities or an innovator who wants to encourage entrepreneurship as a viable career path, your donation to the Startup & Innovation CoLab powered by Blackstone LaunchPad can make a direct, positive impact on student entrepreneurship and innovation at UB.

UB has long been an essential part of Western New York’s thriving entrepreneurial landscape, and that’s due in large part to the connections made between campus resources and support from alumni and friends. Let’s keep the innovation going—get in touch.