2026 Buffalo Startup Week underscores region’s entrepreneurial impact

Buffalo Startup Week, which began last Wednesday (April 15) and concludes on Thursday, brings together founders, investors and community leaders for a week of conversations, workshops and networking. The event highlights the region’s growing entrepreneurial momentum, supported in part by UB’s year-round work to help startups launch, scale and secure investment.  

Powered by UB Business and Entrepreneur Partnerships (UB BEP) and the Western New York Incubator Network (WIN), Buffalo Startup Week is a series of half- and full-day sessions featuring panels, workshops and networking events to connect startups with capital, talent and support. The events take place at various locations around Buffalo, including UB’s Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences (CBLS) and Seneca One Tower.

“Buffalo's entrepreneurial environment is thriving,” says Sophia Marshall, UB BEP’s senior program manager of startup ventures. “Buffalo Startup Week brings founders, investors and leaders from across our community together to help create our region’s next great companies. We’re proud to help make this signature event bigger and better this year.”  

In a 2025 study by MarketBeat, Buffalo ranked 10th among 150 U.S. cities for startup friendliness. The report cited an abundance of resources available through UB and partners like 43North and START-UP NY as key reasons Buffalo outranked bigger cities, helping position the region as an unexpected bastion for startup activity.

Spanning twice as many days as last year’s event, the 2026 program opens pathways for every stage of starting a business – from UB students and pre-founders to established startups and investors – thanks to an expanded roster of community partnerships.

The growth of this year’s event is fueled by UB BEP collaborations that extend university and SUNY resources to startups in Western New York, and its leadership in the regional innovation community. UB administers WIN, whose network of business incubators includes two UB-hosted spaces at Baird on UB’s North Campus, and at the CBLS on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. UB BEP also partners with some of the most influential startup-focused organizations in the region to connect founders with funding and learning opportunities through 43North and Launch NY.

UB BEP also spearheads a number of transformative programs that provide wraparound support to new companies, some of which move operations to Buffalo to participate. UB Cultivator is a unique, early-stage startup program that offers mentorship, incubator space and up to $100,000 in investment to qualifying companies. Thirty-nine companies have graduated from the program since 2021.

To reach early-stage entrepreneurs, last fall UB BEP’s Startup Ventures team added StartingLine, a program to help “founder curious” entrepreneurs assess the potential of their idea before formally launching a business. Both Cultivator and StartingLine are designed to fill gaps in the region’s startup scene for early-stage founders who are looking for foundational programming to prepare them to engage with other ecosystem partners. 

Over the last five years, UB has invested $3.75 million in local startups through Cultivator, and over $2 million through the Buffalo Innovation Seed Fund – early capital that helps companies accelerate growth and demonstrate the kind of viability that qualified them for additional funding. To date, Cultivator companies have raised nearly $15 million in outside investments. Early funding by Cultivator, UB incubator space and tax incentives through START-UP NY have helped several companies reach significant business milestones across business sectors.

Earlier this year, Cultivator-backed Immersed Games secured a $1 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s America’s Seed Fund to help the STEM education startup explore how artificial intelligence can strengthen math instruction.

Meanwhile, JECA Energy Bars is expanding its manufacturing facility and has seen 230% growth in sales through new distribution contracts with Wegmans and Whole Foods. Last year, Kulture Khazana signed agreements with Target and Macy’s to carry its line of toys and games celebrating Indian culture.

Outside of Cultivator and the Buffalo Innovation Seed Fund, UB BEP manages several other startup funding programs including the Buffalo Innovation Accelerator Fund, a technology commercialization accelerator fund administered by UB and supported by Empire State Development. It also spearheads several programs that provide funding and guidance for UB faculty researchers interested in commercializing their discoveries and starting their own spinout companies.

“The UB BEP team’s year-round leadership strengthens the region’s startup community, extending the impact of UB resources and creating spaces for new partnerships to take shape,” says Per Stromhaug, UB BEP’s senior associate vice president for economic development. “It’s essential work that happens behind the scenes, but its impact is visible through growing companies whose innovations are reshaping the landscape in technology, AI, consumer goods, medicine and more.”

UB’s behind-the-scenes startup leadership and outcomes are taking center stage at Buffalo Startup Week. Several Cultivator company founders and BEP leaders are featured presenters and panelists, sharing their experiences and knowledge with the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Kevin Siskar, founder of startup accounting platform Finta, will take the hot seat in a live recording session of the Right to Invest live reverse pitch show, a web series in which four investors compete to fund his company. Stromhaug will join fellow ecosystem leaders on a panel discussing plans for the future of Buffalo’s evolving startup infrastructure. A panel of female founders sharing their stories scaling companies into major national retail distribution features Cultivator alumni Ree Dolnick of JECA Energy Bars and Leslie Woodward of Edenesque plant milks.

“It’s incredible to see so many of our Cultivator companies and our BEP team members offering their time and talents to inspire the next big ideas,” says Marshall. “This week is really about celebrating the whole startup community and the hard work and passion that are beginning to shape our regional economy’s bright future.”

For details and registration, visit buffalo.edu/startup-week.