Springboard 2025 to Award $500K to Strengthen WNY’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

A regional initiative aimed at strengthening Western New York’s entrepreneurial community is back for a second year, offering at least $500,000 in prize money to individuals and organizations dedicated to building a stronger, more connected startup ecosystem.

Launched on May 5, the Springboard 2025 competition will award grants ranging from $5,000 to $100,000 to “ecosystem builders” — a broad category that includes nonprofits, entrepreneur support organizations, capital providers, schools, colleges, and even individual entrepreneurs. The application deadline is June 10, and winners will be announced at an award event in Buffalo in late July.

“This program shifts the focus from isolated success to collective growth,” said Paul Riser, senior program officer at the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, which funds the competition. “It’s about investing in people and programs that create long-term relationships, collaboration, and culture that empower local founders.”

Eligible applicants must have an EIN and operate in one of nine WNY counties: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, or Wyoming. The funding must support events, activities, or learning opportunities that foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and networking — either locally or through peer-learning in other cities like Pittsburgh or Indianapolis.

Examples of eligible projects include:

• Entrepreneurship competitions, hackathons, and demo days

• Start-up weeks/weekends that attract both local and external talent and investors

• Investor education events and ecosystem familiarization tours

• Meetups or coffee clubs with added programming for founders

• Themed networking events or learning cohorts for selected entrepreneurs

The prize competition is managed by Main Light Strategies and the Center for Regional Strategies, with support from a network of regional partners including The Exchange at Beverly Gray, NextCorps, 43North, LaunchNY, and others.

A panel of judges with diverse entrepreneurial experience will review applications and select the winners. The 2025 judging panel includes:

• Sharon Cryan, founder and CEO of food tech startup FoodNerd

• Kamal Patel, product head at AireXpert and partner at Good Neighbor Fund

• Khadesha Okwudili, CEO of relationship wellness platform Agape

• Omar Bakht, biotech commercialization expert and CEO of Advanced Gene Transfer Co.

• Jack Greco, founder of Cupule Ventures and investor at AireXpert and Engio

For full eligibility requirements and application details, visit www.SpringboardNY.org.