Storytelling
The excitement generated by the 2024 prize competition created storytelling opportunities. Each of the twenty-six Year 1 winners was featured in a 30 to 60-second video which not only helped to promote Springboard but was also used by winners and ecosystem builders to build awareness of programs in their own marketing and fundraising efforts.

Hate Your Deck
Hate Your Deck is a course on building strong pitch decks and teaches entrepreneurs how investors think, how storytelling works, and a simple way to tell a company’s story.
The Local Sound Collaborative, Inc.
The Artist Grants Program provides opportunities to artists to share their craft in innovative entrepreneurial ways and push the conversation forward on what music can offer our world.
The Foundry
Young Entrepreneurs Advance: Growing a Youth Entrepreneurship Pipeline enhances opportunities for youth to explore the world of business and product creation.
University at Buffalo Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership
Emerging Entrepreneurs Coaching Launchpad is a series of sessions that offer a comprehensive learning experience to entrepreneurs at the beginning of their business journeys.
Latinas Evolving LLC
Cafecito Tempranito On the Road – Entrepreneur Support Program provides funding and a platform for Latina entrepreneurs and leaders to showcase their stories.
Alive + Well
WebBiz Launchpad is a comprehensive training program that equips underserved young adults with the skills of website creation using Squarespace and fundamental business development.
Stitch Buffalo
Entrepreneurship Training Program for Refugee Women empowers refugee and immigrant women by promoting the sale of their textile goods—inspiring creativity and inclusion through education.
Ibero Business Center-WNY
The Expanded Ibero Business Center Services and Pitch Competition supports business training in Niagara Falls and Rochester including business plan preparation and cash flow projections, culminating in a pitch competition.
Cooperation Buffalo, Inc.
Cooperative Changemakers Fellowship for Cooperative Entrepreneurs is an intensive training program to help individuals or teams determine their place in the cooperative economy.
Western New York Venture Association, Inc.
Angel Investor Education Workshops are two half-day, in-person fundamentals of angel investing workshops in Buffalo and Rochester.
Southern Tier West Development Foundation
The Empowering Rural Women Entrepreneurs in the Southern Tier initiative addresses barriers to entrepreneurship, such as limited networks and restricted resources, in this rural community.
Go Getta Enterprises
The Go Getta Academy is an immersive media training program that provides skills and knowledge to create engaging podcasts, develop strong public speaking and build their brands.
Cattaraugus-Allegany Workforce Development Board, Inc.
Small Business on the Job Training Program connects job seekers with employers and provides training costs for the first weeks of employment.
The Rochester Commissary
Innovation through Shared Kitchen Incubation provides equipment and specialized support for production and scaling for food-focused entrepreneurs.
Ellis K Consulting
Business Etiquette Course for Women Entrepreneurs merges critical business knowledge with professional interaction skills—promoting the development of successful, enduring businesses.
The Solutions Hub
The Solutions Hub is a modern, technology-driven coworking and multi-purpose event space that provides a supportive environment for entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small businesses.
TechRochester
TechRochester fosters online and in-person connections between its members and Rochester area founders to fuel start-up progress and strengthen the Greater Rochester technology community.
The Good Neighbor Fund
Good Neighbor Fund Micro-Grant Program provides micro-grants, entrepreneurial support and community events to under-resourced and underrepresented business founders, primarily at the ideation stage.
Providence Farm Collective Corp
The Farmer Leadership Circle Program is an inclusionary approach to support leaders and build organizational capacity related to fresh foods and farmland through enhanced mentorship.
Connected Communities
Connected Communities will develop a business association in Rochester’s Beechwood/EMMA neighborhoods, and a pitch competition that prioritizes community-based entrepreneurs.
CHQ Chamber
Reimagining Foot Traffic Initiatives to Support Local Businesses uses the Bandwango platform to provide data to evaluate the impact of new initiatives and to create contact lists to market repeat visits.
The Hatch Business Incubator at SUNY JCC
The Internship and Resource Impact: Empowering Small Business Growth initiative offers students hands-on experience while giving small businesses support at no cost.
The Bricks Collaborative 716
Brick by Brick Peer Mentoring initiative provides access to resources, mentors and brand visibility to support an ecosystem of emerging food entrepreneurs.
Phli Divas Beauty Salon, Inc
The Top Tier Professional Program accelerates the talent, entrepreneurship, and knowledge of licensed cosmetologists, barbers, make-up artists, and estheticians.
That Brown Bag Minority Business Directory
That Brown Bag Minority Business Directory Digital Subscription Project creates a service that gives large companies access to a directory—building direct connections between diverse suppliers and consumers.
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