Category: BNMC’s IC Success

Rupp Pfalzgraf LLC to Provide Free Legal Services to Buffalo’s Newest Entrepreneurs

by Maria Morrealein BNMC's IC Success, Buffalo, Business Development, Entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurship, Small Businesses

Rupp Pfalzgraf LLC to Provide Free Legal Services to Buffalo’s Newest Entrepreneurs.

Donation to BNMC’s IC Success program will provide vital support to the region’s early-stage entrepreneurs

BUFFALO NY– The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) is pleased to announce that it has partnered with leading Buffalo law firm Rupp Pfalzgraf LLC to provide a new resource to entrepreneurs in its IC Success program—a free, year-long program that connects historically marginalized, early-stage entrepreneurs with mentors, marketplaces and other resources.

The partnership will ensure that entrepreneurs have curated access to the essential legal resources they need as they begin to build their businesses. Business law can be tough to navigate, even for well-established companies. Business owners, particularly new business owners, can often have a lot of questions. Rupp Pfalzgraf’s generous in-kind donation to the IC Success program will ensure that a vital legal resource is available to all entrepreneurs in the program.

Speaking about the partnership David Pfalzgraf, Jr, managing partner of Rupp Pfalzgraf, said “We are very excited to partner with the BNMC and Juweria in connection with this innovative and “one of a kind” IC Success program.  Rupp Pfalzgraf has always taken great pride in its entrepreneurial spirit, our partnership with the BNMC, and our unwavering commitment to our community.  We see our ability to support start up organizations and fellow entrepreneurs during their time of greatest need as the perfect opportunity for us to achieve the proverbial “win win.”  We can’t wait to begin supporting the program and we’re already looking forward to watching our new clients “grow up” and achieve great success with their businesses.”

IC Success provides new and early-stage entrepreneurs with the tools and resources they need to launch and grow their business—all at no cost.

Entrepreneurs who are accepted into IC success receive full access to the business accelerator program, extensive mentoring from business experts, access to connections and customers throughout the downtown medical campus (where 17,000-plus people work), and semi-annual pitch contests where entrepreneurs can earn seed funding.

“We are so grateful to Rupp Pfalzgraf for this new partnership. It will be an invaluable resource for our entrepreneurs. We’re here to connect people to the tools they need to grow their businesses,” said Juweria Dahir, who has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs and business owners as BNMC’s Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. “For too long, people in historically marginalized and underserved communities have not had equal access to legal services, mentors, funding, and other resources—even though they have brilliant ideas and have proven to be amazing businesspeople. Creating these integrated networks eliminates many of the barriers for these entrepreneurs and it is partners like our friends at Rupp Pfalzgraf that make it possible.”

Twice each year, a cohort comprised of 15 talented Buffalo entrepreneurs begins the IC Success business accelerator program. This intensive 10-week program provides classes on all aspects of running a business, including finance, law, accounting, and marketing. In addition, each participant is matched with three mentors who support entrepreneurs throughout the program, and beyond.

Underrepresented entrepreneurs face unique obstacles. For example, Black business owners who apply for funding were three times more likely to be rejected by banks than white business owners, according to a report from Goldman Sachs.

“We started this program because there are entrepreneurs all over Buffalo who still don’t feel welcome in the flourishing startup ecosystem here—especially people of color and women, who often face discrimination and other obstacles when building a business,” said Matt Enstice, President of BNMC. “By purposefully integrating networks—and caring for those connections on a long-term basis—we can help communities grow from within, driving the next wave of our region’s economic development.”

IC Success is the latest equity-focused program from BNMC, which has helped drive Buffalo’s economic growth and development for more than 20 years.

Contact:

Adriana A. Viverette

Digital Communications Manager

Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. 
Innovation Center at 640 Ellicott St. | Buffalo, NY 14203
C 716.348.4126 | aviverette@bnmc.org

Samantha Sliwa

Marketing & Events Coordinator

Rupp Pfalzgraf LLC

1600 Liberty Building | Buffalo, NY 14202

716.854.3400 x 260 | sliwa@rupppfalzgraf.com

About Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus  

For more than twenty years, The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus organization (BNMC) has been a driving force of Buffalo’s economic renaissance. Throughout its management of the growth of Buffalo’s premier innovation district, the BNMC has foregrounded smart economic, social, and environmental development, prioritizing health & well-being and sustainability. Today, the BNMC is focused on the next phase of Buffalo’s ongoing resurgence, cultivating inclusive innovation in partnership with our community, and launching the IC Success (Innovation Community Success) program to support aspiring entrepreneurs from all backgrounds to help them start or grow a business. Program graduates will form the heart of Buffalo’s growing Innovation Community comprised of businesses large and small in an array of disciplines leading the region’s next wave of economic development and growth.   www.bnmc.org

About Rupp Pfalzgraf LLC

Rupp Pfalzgraf LLC is a full-service law firm headquartered in Buffalo, NY. Founded in 2000, the firm employs more than 70 attorneys in 6 offices across New York State. Core practice areas include litigation, corporate law and governance, banking and creditors rights, project development and environmental law, construction law, healthcare law, insurance law, commercial real estate and financing, and labor and employment law. Rupp Pfalzgraf’s experienced attorneys are recognized as leaders in their fields by Super Lawyers, Business First’s Legal Elite, and Business First’s 40 Under 40 and 30 Under 30, among other industry publications and organizations. Rupp Pfalzgraf also has been honored for its unique culture, including recognition by Business First as a Most Admired Company, and more than 16 times as one of Western New York’s Best Places to Work. For more information, visit www.rupppfalzgraf.com.

Buffalo’s Newest Entrepreneurs to Pitch Their Businesses for a Chance to Win Seed Funding

by Maria Morrealein BNMC's IC Success, Buffalo, Business Development, Entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Innovation Center, Startups

15 New Business Owners Will Showcase their Companies on December 5, 6, 7

BUFFALO NY– The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) will present its latest pitch competition for its IC Success Summer 2023 cohort on December 5, 6, and 7. The IC Success program provides new and early-stage entrepreneurs with the tools and resources they need to launch and grow their business—all at no cost.

The cohort members have almost completed the program’s intensive 10-week business accelerator program, received extensive mentoring from business experts, and are now ready to take the stage to make their business pitches to a panel of expert judges from an array of industries.

Competing for seed funding for up to 5 businesses are:

  •             Danielle Byrd, Founder, Long Life Yoga
  •             Tracey Taylor, Owner, The Blend, LLC
  •             Ashley Dolson, Founder, Melanin Skyn Co.
  •             Mohamed Yakub, Owner, Yakub’s Consulting, LLC
  •             Frank Handley, Founder, Handley Holding, LLC
  •             Thomas Preston Page, Owner, The Traphaus
  •             Rhonda Wells, Owner, Buffalo Plant Burger
  •             Elise Cominsky, Owner, Felise Design
  •             Stephanie Peete, Founder, Second Chapter Bookstore
  •             Mubarek Idris Said, Owner, iNRev Cycle
  •             Chanel Rowe, Owner, Caribbean Arts and Culture Foundation
  •             Tesha Parker, Founder, Rooted in Love, Inc.
  •             Lamiah Jabbar, Owner, LoveMeOnsie
  • Anisa Umugwanera, Owner, Welcovery
  • Jacqueline Cherry, Owner, Buffalo Dance and Movement Center

Companies that are part of an IC Success cohort also have additional opportunities to earn seed funding each quarter as their businesses are developed.

“We are so proud of how far this group of entrepreneurs has come over the past 10 weeks,” said Juweria Dahir, who has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs and business owners as BNMC’s Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. “It has been a joy to share in their progress in the IC Success program and we welcome everyone to join us at the Innovation Center for the Competition and graduation ceremony.”

Winners will be announced at a special graduation ceremony on December 14. All are welcome to attend the pitch competition on December 5, 6, and 7. Those wishing to attend can register here. Anyone who would like to attend the graduation ceremony on the 14th can register here.

Twice each year, a cohort comprised of 15 talented Buffalo entrepreneurs begins the IC Success business accelerator program. This program provides classes on all aspects of running a business, including finance, law, accounting, and marketing. In addition, each participant is matched with three mentors who support entrepreneurs throughout the program, and beyond.

IC Success is focused primarily on underrepresented entrepreneurs, and the unique obstacles they face. For example, Black business owners who apply for funding were three times more likely to be rejected by banks than white business owners, according to a report from Goldman Sachs.

“We started this program because there are entrepreneurs all over Buffalo who still don’t feel welcome in the flourishing startup ecosystem here—especially people of color and women, who often face discrimination and other obstacles when building a business,” said Matt Enstice, President of BNMC. “By purposefully integrating networks—and caring for those connections on a long-term basis—we can help communities grow from within, driving the next wave of our region’s economic development.”

IC Success is the latest equity-focused program from BNMC, which has helped drive Buffalo’s economic growth and development for more than 20 years.

Contact:

Adriana Viverette
Digital Marketing Manager

Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. 
Innovation Center at 640 Ellicott St. | Buffalo, NY 14203
C 716.348.4126 | aviverette@bnmc.org

 About Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus  

For more than twenty years, The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus organization (BNMC) has been a driving force in Buffalo’s economic renaissance. Throughout its management of the growth of Buffalo’s premier innovation district, the BNMC has foregrounded smart economic, social, and environmental development, prioritizing health & well-being, and sustainability. Today, the BNMC is focused on the next phase of Buffalo’s ongoing resurgence, cultivating inclusive innovation in partnership with our community, and launching the IC Success (Innovation Community Success) program to support aspiring entrepreneurs from all backgrounds to help them start or grow a business. Program graduates will form the heart of Buffalo’s growing Innovation Community comprised of businesses large and small in an array of disciplines leading the region’s next wave of economic development and growth.   www.bnmc.org

IC Success Alum, Jillian Hanesworth, Nominated for Emmy Award.

by Maria Morrealein Awards, BNMC's IC Success, Education, Local businesses

Choose Love: Buffalo Bills Honor East Buffalo Video is Produced By Literary Freedom, LLC.

Jillian Hanesworth, founder of Literary Freedom LLC, is making waves in the literary world for her Emmy-nominated collaboration with the Buffalo Bills on the “Choose Love: Buffalo Bills Honor East Buffalo” video. An IC Success Business Accelerator Alum, Hanesworth is dedicated to expanding literary access to communities of color and historically excluded communities.

Literary Freedom LLC was established by Hanesworth in 2021 with the aim of providing educational tools and empowering individuals to use the arts to share their stories and uplift their experiences. Recognizing the pivotal role that poetry, music, visual art, dance, and traditional storytelling have played in sharing Black stories, Literary Freedom strives to uphold these traditions.

Under the umbrella of Literary Freedom, workshops, trainings, and lessons are conducted to reinforce the company’s mission of providing access to educational tools and helping individuals develop the necessary skills to use the arts to make a meaningful impact. By ensuring that marginalized communities have the resources and support to share their narratives and preserve their culture, Literary Freedom is working to dismantle systems of oppression.

Hanesworth’s collaboration with the Buffalo Bills, titled “Choose Love: Buffalo Bills Honor East Buffalo,” has garnered much attention and acclaim, earning her a well-deserved Emmy nomination. The video serves as a testament to the power of using art to bring about positive change and highlight the resilience and strength of communities.

As the Poet Laureate of Buffalo NY, Hanesworth has demonstrated her immense talent and commitment to using poetry as a tool for social change. Her work has touched the lives of many, and her inclusion in the Emmy nomination is a testament to her dedication and skill.

At BNMC we are building an Innovation Community where everyone can access great programming and the resources all entrepreneurs need to start or grow their businesses.

To date, BNMC has supported over 500 entrepreneurs, graduated 200 companies from their programs, and engaged more than 1,000 volunteers and supporters championing this effort.