Intersect Buffalo to Showcase IC Success Fall 2025 Entrepreneurs at Graduation & Holiday Market, Advancing Economic Development on Buffalo’s East Side
Buffalo, NY — December 10, 2025 Intersect Buffalo will host the IC Success Fall 2025 Cohort Graduation & Holiday Market, a community-centered event celebrating emerging founders and the continued economic and cultural revitalization occurring on Buffalo’s East Side. The event will be held on Wednesday, December 10, from 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM at the Northland Workforce Training Center, 683 Northland Avenue.
This year’s graduating cohort features twelve innovative entrepreneurs who represent creative ingenuity, professional capability, and deep cultural impact. The Fall 2025 Cohort includes: Nia & Kai Ellis (Smooth Child), Sameerah Kwakye (SC Pretty Boutique), Candace Lattimore (Rosia B. Mobile Phlebotomy Services), LaToya Adams (Pretty & Packing Women’s Gun Club LLC), Ron Langhorne (I’m Just A Golfer), Andrew Brown (Debonair Sharp LLC), Madeline McDaniel (Cyberbae), Sharmetris Lindsey (ChiChi’s Treats), Carine Merritt (Carine’s Caribbean Cuisine LLC), Jewell Eason (Buttahfly Creations LLC), Hanna Ross (Brown Skin Network), and Nassema Dawkins (Black in Buffalo).
These founders represent a spectrum of industries including healthcare, food service, fashion, media, retail, beauty, sports, and professional services. Many entered the program as early-stage entrepreneurs and are leaving with revenue growth, expanded customer reach, clarified business strategy, strengthened messaging, and the confidence to scale.
Their growth is supported by the IC Success mentorship network, a unique component of the program that connects founders directly with experienced business professionals who provide guidance, accountability, and strategic support. Mentors for the Fall 2025 Cohort include: Derrick Parson (The Exchange at Beverly Gray), Tamika Lewis (Willa Nicole Rose Lux Firm), Quinton Smith (Triton Ventures LLC), Chellsy Mapp (Chellsy Vilaire), Schondra Aytch (Sneakvibing Media), Gregory Crenshaw (Crenshaw’s Chicken & Waffles), Rhonda Wilson (Buffalo Black Nurses Inc.), Dennis Wilson Jr. (MRDWILSON Limited Corp), Nicole Davis (Franci Jewelry), Lee Montez Thomas (Radah Baked Goods), SalleyNycole Crews (SalleyNycole’s Skin & Beauty Boutique), and Siobhan Taylor (Ms. Eye Candy Boutique).
The IC Success Program has become a defining entrepreneurial support engine for the East Side. Launched originally through a partnership to expand business education and entrepreneurial access, IC Success has now supported over 400 entrepreneurs across multiple cohorts since inception. The program’s model, combining technical training, peer support, marketplace exposure, and real-time mentorship has resulted in business launches, job creation, storefront expansions, long-term contracts, and increased participation of local founders in the regional economy.
Attendees of the December 10 event will experience live founder pitches, a locally focused holiday market, vendor purchasing opportunities, business networking, resource connections, and an atmosphere of community celebration. Members of the media are encouraged to attend to capture the stories of local entrepreneurship, community-driven economic mobility, and the emerging class of business owners who are shaping the future of business on Buffalo’s East Side.
IC Success is offered at no cost to participants and reflects Intersect Buffalo’s commitment to equitable access to economic opportunity. The initiative directly supports the organization’s broader mission to strengthen business ownership, build pathways to generational wealth, and ensure that the revitalization of Buffalo includes and is driven by its residents.
About Intersect Buffalo
Intersect Buffalo is a community-centered organization working to build an Empowerment District on Buffalo’s East Side, uniting people, programs, and partners to create equitable access to opportunity.
Intersect Buffalo is committed to empowering early-stage entrepreneurs from marginalized and historically underserved communities. Through the IC Success Program, they provide a free, year-long initiative to connect entrepreneurs with mentors, marketplaces, and essential resources to start or grow their businesses. By connecting founders, residents, anchor institutions, and strategic partners, Intersect strengthens the city’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and helps build pathways to generational wealth.
Event: IC Success Fall 2025 Cohort Graduation & Holiday Market
Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2025
Time: 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Location: Northland Workforce Training Center
Address: 683 Northland Ave, Buffalo, NY