Applicants sought for technology entrepreneurship competition

By Kevin Manne

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Aspiring entrepreneurs are invited to attend a training session and learn more about the Henry A. Panasci Jr. Technology Entrepreneurship Competition, where participants will vie for more than $60,000 in startup funding and services.

The training sessions will kick off the 2013-14 Henry A. Panasci Jr. Technology Entrepreneurship Competition (Panasci TEC), which encourages students from science and technology disciplines and MBA students to create viable businesses in Western New York.

The competition is open to any University at Buffalo undergraduate, graduate, doctoral or postdoctoral student.

Training sessions will be held at the following times and locations:

• Oct. 24, 5 p.m., 122 Jacobs Management Center, UB North Campus.
• Nov. 7, 5 p.m., 103 Alfiero Center, UB North Campus.
• Nov. 21, 5 p.m., 103 Alfiero Center, UB North Campus.
• Dec. 5, 4 p.m., UB STOR, 1576 Sweet Home Rd., Amherst.

“Panasci TEC gives students the opportunity to experience entrepreneurship in a real-world setting where they take an idea from conception to market,” said Thomas Ulbrich, executive director of the UB School of Management's Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL).

Teams that enter Panasci TEC will compete for startup funding and in-kind services to launch their businesses. The training sessions will provide advice on how to write a business plan, including the tools, techniques and resources needed. They also will feature a question-and-answer period and brief discussion with past competition winners and administrators.

The Panasci competition is funded with a $1 million endowment from the late Henry A. Panasci Jr., UB alumnus and former CEO of Fay’s Inc., and is sponsored by the UB School of Management and the UB Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach.

For more information, contact the CEL at mgt-cel@buffalo.edu or apply online at mgt.buffalo.edu/panasci.

The UB School of Management is recognized for its emphasis on real-world learning, community and economic impact, and the global perspective of its faculty, students and alumni. The school also has been ranked by Bloomberg Businessweek, the Financial Times, Forbes and U.S. News and World Report for the quality of its programs and the return on investment it provides its graduates. For more information about the UB School of Management, visit mgt.buffalo.edu.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system that is its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB’s more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.