Entrepreneurship Lab
Michael Sparks, founder of Stickerlight
UB’s Entrepreneurship Lab (eLab), a small business boot camp for students, teaches students to be entrepreneurs by helping them research the market potential, write business plans and pitch their business ideas to investors.
The investors were a panel of local business leaders and venture capitalists. The money they were investing comes from a UB donor-supported fund managed by the university’s Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach (STOR). The 2014 crop of start-ups that secured investments ranging from $5,000 to $8,000 included:
- WeStudy, a mobile application that connects college students with tutors and their peers for academics. Founded by a senior psychology major, the app is available on iOS and Android devices.
- Emviss, or Electromagnetic Vibration Isolation and Stabilization System, is a manufacturer of electromagnetic devices that provide vibration isolation for high-powered microscopes, cameras and lasers. Founded by a civil engineering doctoral candidate.
- Stickerlight, founded by an MBA student, is a sound-activated, luminescent marketing emblem that artists and DJs can attach to their laptops.
- B2Y Education, also founded by an MBA student, bridges the gap between businesses and youth through engaging marketing programs.
- Earth Risk Systems is software that estimates the risks and damage costs associated with natural disasters. The start-up was founded by a mechanical engineering doctoral candidate.
- E-Bridge, a college academics-themed mobile app start-up, founded by a sophomore who hasn’t yet declared a major.
The Entrepreneurship Lab is a joint effort of UB’s School of Management, the undergraduate Entrepreneurship Academy and STOR.
Earning an A at the end of a college course is nice. But $8,000 for your business is better. When you support UB, you might be helping to launch the next household name.
