ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Rochester’s startup and small-business community continues to shape how the region shops, celebrates, and invests in local founders. This year’s Connected Know Holiday Gift Guide brings together six Rochester-born companies making meaningful contributions to retail, culture, and community each offering something thoughtful, original, and unmistakably local. Second Look Boutique Category:  Fashion & Lifestyle Where to Shop:  In-store + Online One of Rochester

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — After three decades in the food and beverage industry, Rochester native Thomas Seymour is channeling his expertise into a new kind of coffee experience. As co-founder of Moka Energy, a startup launched in 2024, Seymour is on a mission to reinvent how consumers get their caffeine, by transforming the ritual of coffee into a portable, flavorful, and clean-label snack. For Seymour, coffee has always been personal. “I was introduced to coffee at a very young ag

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Rochester has long been known for its legacy industries, research institutions, and engineering talent. But beneath that familiar narrative, a new storyline is emerging one defined by fast growth, modern technology, and the rise of companies that are scaling beyond the region without losing their local roots. From cloud software to fiber infrastructure to AI-driven services, Rochester’s tech ecosystem is accelerating in ways that are reshaping the local busi

CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. — The 2025 Grow-NY Business Competition awarded $3 million to seven emerging food and agriculture companies this week, naming Brooklyn-based Brekland the $1 million grand-prize winner. The awards were announced November 13 at the Grow-NY Summit, held this year on November 13th at the Lake House on Canandaigua, marking one of the region’s most anticipated showcases of agricultural innovation. The competition, now in its seventh year, is funded by Empire State

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Constellation Brands is extending its reach into one of the most powerful ecosystems in American sports as Ruffino Prosecco , one of its signature wine labels, becomes a Proud Partner of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide for the 2025–26 athletic season. The one-year agreement places Ruffino inside the heart of SEC football culture, aligning the Italian sparkling wine with a program known for national titles, high visibility, and a fiercely loyal fanbase

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Global Entrepreneurship Week Rochester, GRWROC , returns November. 18–21,2025 bringing together founders, investors, support organizations and business leaders for four days focused on innovation, collaboration and economic momentum across the region. Positioned as a region-wide celebration of entrepreneurship, the event highlights the people and programs shaping Rochester’s business landscape. Organizers emphasize that the week is designed to connect entrep

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Rochester’s founder community doesn’t run on caffeine alone, but the right coffee shop can absolutely spark better ideas, smoother meetings, and the kind of chance encounters that make building a company here feel special. From indie cafés with personality to chain locations that function as unofficial co-working hubs, here are the region’s most founder-friendly spots to work, meet, build, and collaborate. This isn’t a ranking, just a curated guide to the p

How the Golisano Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship is rewriting the rules of business education and expanding into Buffalo ROCHESTER, N.Y. — In the world of startups, growth, agility, and purpose are the hallmarks of success. But one of Rochester’s fastest-growing “startups” isn’t a tech company or venture-backed firm it’s a business school that operates more like a modern accelerator than a traditional college. Founded in 2023 by entrepreneur and philanthropist Tom G