The University at Buffalo’s Startup and Innovation Collaboratory powered by Blackstone LaunchPad is a campus-based entrepreneurship department designed to introduce entrepreneurship as a viable career path for all students at UB. We offer venture coaching support to students, alumni, faculty and staff in a one-on-one format for individuals or ventures at any stage, in any industry. Venture coaches conduct coaching meetings in-person in Student Union 340. This is a fully in-person role with no option for remote work or work-from-home accommodation.
The Venture Coach role is to guide early-stage ventures using the Disciplined Entrepreneurship methodologies (source: Disciplined Entrepreneurship: 24 Steps to a Successful Startup) and to support other program needs as they arise. As a Venture Coach, you will use your startup expertise to coach and guide student ventures as they navigate their startup journey. Venture Coaches need to be comfortable managing multiple students and different industries simultaneously.
Venture Coaches support student-led ventures—whether scalable, tech-driven, or lifestyle-focused—as they work to:
- Refine their business idea into a compelling and feasible business model
- Conduct competitive analysis to understand market positioning and identify similar ventures
- Define customer segments and gain deeper insight through market research
- Perform primary customer discovery and validation
- Develop a sustainable and scalable business model
- Build an investor-ready pitch deck
- Connect with industry experts and strategic mentors
- And much more…
Qualifications
- Current UB student with at least 1.5 years remaining in your academic program (graduating no earlier than Fall 2026 or Spring 2027)
- Strong interpersonal skills and a passion for mentoring, tutoring, or customer service
- Ability to schedule and lead one-on-one coaching sessions with student founders
- Enthusiasm for entrepreneurship and a desire to support early-stage ventures
- Willingness to learn and apply the 24 Steps of Disciplined Entrepreneurship methodology
- Familiarity with UB’s Startup and Innovation Collaboratory (CoLab) programs or willingness to explore the CoLab website and Notion toolkit
- Be an ambassador for the CoLab, which might look like networking, recruiting, cold-emailing, tabling at and attending events, etc.
Preferred Qualifications
- Completion of an entrepreneurship course such as MGO 658, Student Sandbox, Blackstone Network Innovation Skills, or equivalent (e.g., I-Corps, Pre-Seed Workshop, Customer Discovery Workshop, or online courses like How to Start a Start-Up by Udacity)
- 12+ months experience as a company founder or equivalent experience working at a startup alongside a founder
- Prior experience in an entrepreneurship department, incubator, accelerator, or similar environment—particularly in a coaching, advising, or leadership capacity
- Knowledge of startup development fundamentals including customer discovery, problem-solution fit, and beachhead market identification
Requirements & Expectations:
- If accepted, complete The CoLab Venture Coach training which includes having a full understanding of our office and programming, having a full grasp of all the resources our office and partner offices have to offer, as well as understanding the Disciplined Entrepreneurship: 24 Steps to a Successful Startup methodology we follow, among other items.
- Ability to commit 10-hours per week: fulfilling above responsibilities to support student entrepreneurs and The CoLab
- Attend weekly meetings with The CoLab Team for ongoing venture coaching skills development and venture review.
- All Venture Coaches are asked to sign the UB CoLab and Blackstone LaunchPad confidentiality and non-disclosure agreement.
- Demonstrate strong written and oral communication skills.
- Be professional and courteous, collaborative, and enthusiastic about The CoLab and entrepreneurship in general.
- Selected students will also display a capacity for active listening, a non-judgmental attitude towards others, a willingness to exceed expectations to assist clients, and a self-motivated dedication to continual learning.
Additional responsibilities may be assigned based on the evolving needs of The CoLab, as well as the individual’s unique skills, interests, or talents.
This is a unique opportunity to be a part of the rapidly growing entrepreneurial department and ecosystem on campus. The position will require 10 hours work per week, some flexibility with scheduling, yet some hours will be dictated by specific activities that will require evening and weekend availability. Compensation is $16/hr.
