Founder Shantelle Patton sat down with WBFO’s Jay Moran to talk about evolving her Black-owned business directory into an online platform that’s searchable, accessible and scalable to regions beyond her current markets in Western New York, Central New York and the Toronto area.
A participant in UB’s early-stage startup program, Cultivator, Patton talks about how mentorship, collaboration and creative outlets are essential to startups in Buffalo, and how proud she is that all of these resources exist in abundance when founders and creatives make connections to share resources. She says she believes firmly in the potential for reviving entrepreneurship in once-thriving commercial strips, like along Buffalo’s Jefferson Avenue, when Black-owned businesses have access to startup support that’s relevant to their journeys.
Patton describes her belief that “no” often doesn’t mean “no” – it means “next opportunity,” something she learned through persistence and perfecting her pitch for startup competitions and programs like UB’s Cultivator.
To celebrate Black History Month, Patton plans to launch a new mental health directory for culturally relevant care in response to a critical community need she saw first-hand in the aftermath of the May 14, 2022 racist mass shooting at Tops on Buffalo’s east side.