Startups grow faster with pre-seed investments and dedicated mentors from UB's Cultivator program.
We pair early-stage startup founders with experienced entrepreneurs who roll up their sleeves to help you take your business to the next level.
Inquire about Cultivator today, at the form below. We strongly encourage historically underrepresented founders to apply.
See other support available to WNY startups at UB.
"As a founding team, joining Cultivator was one of the best decisions we made, granting us access to mentors and resources that guided us through customer discovery, product development, fundraising, hiring, and more. Cultivator also provided an invaluable connection to a community of founders who shared ideas and experiences that drove our success."
David Gonzalez
Co-founder and CEO
"Being an alumna of the University at Buffalo, it's an absolute honor to have them not just as my alma mater, but now as a crutical part of Kulture Khazana's growth. Cultivator is not just about funding; it's a commitment to democratizing access, preparing companies for the future, and fostering connections within the startup ecosystem."
Akruti Babaria
Founder and CEO
"We all have biases about our products. As we were going through [Cultivator] and understanding who our customers were and what their buying journey looked like, a lightbulb moment happened because we could see who was actually buying, who we thought our customers were, and how those two things were not lining up. That was really key."
Ree Dolnick
Founder and CEO
"Early-stage support is essential to the success of a business. This becomes even more critical as a founder of color. Programs such as Cultivator, START-UP NY, and UB's 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."
Derrick Parson
Founder and CEO
Participating startups are not required to have a previous affiliation with UB, but must be located in Western New York—Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus or Allegany counties. We strongly encourage historically underrepresented founders to apply.
Cultivator works with medium- to high-growth startups serving national or international markets, like software or innovative manufactured goods. Small businesses with a local or regional focus (e.g. most brick and mortar stores, restaurants) are not a fit.
For more information about eligibility, see our FAQs.