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Overview

About Our Founder Network

UVC’s Founder Network is free to join, and connects you to a community of fellow entrepreneurs in Upstate New York. The network is strategically designed to help founders build essential connections that drive their growth and success. By facilitating these critical connections, the network acts as a strategic ecosystem, empowering founders to fast-track their growth and strengthen the broader startup community in Upstate New York.

Benefits of Joining the Network

Personalized Connections

1-to-1 connections and warm introductions from our expansive network of over 18,000 contacts, customized to meet each founder’s unique needs.

Curated Events

Signature dinners, tours, and events such as Founder Fusion and the Unleashed Founders Retreat, hosted to cultivate meaningful relationships.

Enhanced Visibility & Advisory

Increased visibility across the ecosystem through UVC’s marketing channels and promotional resources, paired with honest feedback and mentorship from the UVC team to uncover and address your unique needs.

Join Today

There’s no cost to join our network. The process includes:

  1. Fill out the Baseline Assessment: Founders fill out UVC’s Baseline Assessment form detailing their business
  2. Initial Review by UVC Team: The UVC team reviews these forms every two weeks. As a reminder, companies must be high-growth.
  3. Connect with UVC Team: The team may reach out for a brief Zoom call. This involves a deeper discussion of the founder’s goals, challenges, and the types of connections that would benefit them most.
  4. Tailored Introductions: Founder are introduced to curated connections and relevant resources, including access to UVC’s network and invitations to exclusive events.

Baseline Assessment

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

  • Basic Information

  • Market Readiness

  • Max. file size: 50 MB.

  • Team

  • If so, please share an online link or roles

  • Traction

  • Financials

  • Customer Development

  • Partners & Mentors

  • Ex: microbiologist at research university, exited entrepreneur in your industry
  • (Ex: fellow founders in the same industry, customer intros, UNY50 members (www.uvc.org/uny50), etc. The more specific you can be here, the better!)
Testimonials

Hear from our Network

Ree Dolnick

JECA

"I was fortunate to receive help from UVC with an introduction that was both pivotal in mentorship and contributing to our most recent fundraise."

Yamillet Payano

CEO & Cofounder of Sign Speak

"UVC's introductions to investors helped me fill out half my seed round."

Michael Pavia

Sydor Technologies

The UVC network was instrumental in helping me find a new President for Sydor Technologies."

UNY50 Mentors

Connect with a UNY50 Mentor

Get Started