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.
