Opportunities abound at UB’s 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Week

By Kevin Manne

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Up-and-coming entrepreneurs will once again have the opportunity to network, listen and learn as the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL) in the University at Buffalo School of Management and AT&T celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week through a series of Buffalo-area events.

“Buffalo is full of entrepreneurs who are fueling the resurgence of the city,” says Thomas Ulbrich, CEL executive director and assistant dean in the UB School of Management. “Through Global Entrepreneurship Week, we celebrate the innovators and job creators who launch startups that bring ideas to life, drive economic growth and expand human welfare.”

Partner organizations for the events include BAK USA, dig Buffalo and UB’s Career Services, Design Club, Intercultural Diversity Center, Undergraduate Academies and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

The events are powered by AT&T and include:

• Innovate N Caffeinate (7 p.m., Nov. 10, 17 Norton Hall, UB North Campus) – Join the UB Academies for a networking session with Western New York business leaders.
• UB Design Club (7:30 p.m., Nov. 11, 222 Natural Sciences Complex, UB North Campus) – Attend a Design Club meeting, to discuss design projects underway. Club members will also pitch new, problem solving ideas.
• Dear World Photo Shoot and Keynote (10 a.m. and 8 p.m., Nov. 17, Student Union, UB North Campus) – Participate in a photo shoot between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and attend the live storytelling experience with the portraits at 8 p.m. Hosted by UB’s Intercultural Diversity Center.
• Fourth Annual Speed Networking (6 p.m., Nov. 17, dig, 640 Ellicott St., Buffalo) – Meet local entrepreneurs and build professional contacts, hosted by dig and the CEL.
• Life Sciences Career Conversations (11:30 a.m., Nov. 18, Zebro Conference Room, 690 Virginia St., Buffalo) – Learn about startups in the life sciences industry.
• BAK USA Tour (4 p.m., Nov. 18, BAK USA, 425 Michigan Ave., Buffalo) – Tour the newly established headquarters of BAK USA, which manufactures tablet PC devices and provides affordable learning solutions around the world.
• Western New York Prosperity Fellowship Information Session (Noon, Nov. 19, 17 Norton Hall, UB North Campus) – Learn about this prestigious program intended for entrepreneurial and civic-minded UB students.
• Entrepreneurship Panel (6 p.m., Nov. 19, 17 Norton Hall, UB North Campus) – Learn about four local organizations supporting Buffalo’s refugee community at a session hosted by UB’s Undergraduate Academies and the CEL.
• Market Validation (4 p.m., Nov. 20, 112 Jacobs Management Center, UB North Campus) – Learn to determine if there is a market for your business idea. Hosted by the CEL.
• John Legend at the UB Distinguished Speaker Series (8 p.m., Dec. 3, Alumni Arena, UB North Campus) – Listen as John Legend speaks about his career as a singer, songwriter, pianist, producer and entrepreneur.

All events are open to the public. Pricing and tickets for John Legend at the Distinguished Speaker Series are available at buffalo.edu/dss. There is no charge for the other UB Global Entrepreneurship Week events. To register or obtain more information, contact Alex Cleary Pelc at 716-885-5715, ext. 30, or mgt-cel@buffalo.edu.

Global Entrepreneurship Week is the world’s largest celebration of the innovators and job creators who launch startups that bring ideas to life, drive economic growth and expand human welfare. During one week each November, thousands of events and competitions around the world inspire millions to engage in entrepreneurial activity while connecting them to potential collaborators, mentors and even investors. Since 2008, Global Entrepreneurship Week has expanded to 140 countries — building and strengthening entrepreneurial ecosystems around the world.

Established in 1987, the CEL provides participants with individualized and interactive education in entrepreneurship. More than 1,300 CEL alumni employ more than 22,000 Western New Yorkers, and their businesses are worth more than $2 billion to the local economy. For more information, visit mgt.buffalo.edu/cel.