top of page
Rochester Business and Startup News
Upstate Technology, Innovation & Business Coverage
Connected Know delivers in-depth reporting on Rochester’s startup ecosystem, Upstate New York innovation, and the business leaders shaping the region’s economic future. Covering breakthrough technologies, high-growth companies, venture activity, and corporate developments, we provide the news and analysis founders, investors, and operators rely on to stay informed. Learn how to submit news and information.
All Posts


From Western New York to Milan–Cortina: How Team USA Athletes Are Paid at the 2026 Winter Olympics
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - With the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan–Cortina in full swing, a small group of athletes with roots in Western and Upstate New York will take the world stage wearing Team USA. While Olympic competition remains the central focus, the Games also represent a meaningful financial moment, one shaped by national sponsorships, licensing revenue, and a newly expanded compensation model for U.S. athletes. For competitors from Rochester and the broader region, includin
2 days ago3 min read


Inside Rochester’s $250M Supplier Opportunity: What the Upstate NY Supplier Engagement Summit Revealed
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Business owners, procurement leaders, and public-sector buyers gathered Wednesday at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center for the 2026 Upstate New York Supplier Engagement Summit, a full-day event focused on expanding access, visibility, and opportunity for diverse suppliers across the region. Hosted in downtown Rochester, the summit brought together minority-owned, women-owned, and service-disabled veteran–owned businesses with representatives from loc
6 days ago3 min read


Brown and White Ventures Invests in Finta to Scale AI-Powered Dealflow Infrastructure for Private Markets
Buffalo, N.Y. — Brown and White Ventures has announced an investment in Finta , an AI-powered workflow platform designed to modernize how private companies raise capital and manage relationship-driven deals. The investment will support Finta’s efforts to scale its end-to-end dealflow infrastructure, which automates many of the most time-consuming aspects of private capital formation, including prospect research, investor outreach, warm introductions, and pipeline managemen
Feb 33 min read


Beyond the AI Conversation: Tech Trends Every Executive Should Be Watching in 2026
As organizations plan for 2026, the technology conversation is expanding well beyond artificial intelligence. While AI continues to dominate headlines, business leaders are increasingly focused on the underlying systems that determine whether innovation can actually scale: security, infrastructure, governance, and operational discipline. Across industries, executives are shifting from tool adoption to systems thinking, asking not just what technology to deploy, but how their
Jan 303 min read


Founder Spotlight: Family Concierge Founder Brings a New Standard to Household Staffing in Rochester and Beyond
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — When Stephanie Williams launched Family Concierge in 2022, she wasn’t setting out to build just another nanny service. She was responding to a gap she had experienced firsthand . One that left both families and caregivers navigating a fragmented, often frustrating system with little guidance or long-term support. Based in Rochester, Family Concierge operates in the nannies and household staffing sector, providing families across Western New York with highl
Jan 283 min read


A Critical No-Cost Resource for Women and Minority Owned Businesses Seeking Certification and Contracts
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — As government and defense agencies continue to prioritize resilient domestic supply chains and diverse vendor participation, the Monroe County Upstate NY APEX Accelerator is playing an increasingly central role in helping regional businesses access public-sector contracting opportunities. The APEX Accelerator, formerly known as the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), is a federally supported program designed to help companies compete for federal
Jan 262 min read


Reju selects Rochester, N.Y. for first U.S. industrial textile regeneration facility
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Reju , a textile-to-textile regeneration company backed by global engineering firm Technip Energies , has selected Rochester, New York, as the site of its first U.S.-based industrial-scale facility, marking a significant step in the company’s global expansion and the region’s growing role in sustainable manufacturing. The future facility, known as a Regeneration Hub, will be located on 18.9 acres at Eastman Business Park. Once operational, the site is expect
Jan 243 min read


Founder Insights: How Locke CEO Connor Peters Is Tackling Identity Challenges in Cybersecurity from Rochester
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — By the time Connor Peters graduated college at 19, he had already launched a business, managed IT systems, and identified a problem he couldn’t ignore. Today, as CEO of Locke , a Rochester-based cybersecurity company founded in 2022, Peters is building software designed to solve one of the most persistent and overlooked challenges in modern IT, identity. Peters grew up in Geneseo, New York, and earned his Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems f
Jan 203 min read
bottom of page

.png)