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

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Long before artificial intelligence, semiconductors, or advanced manufacturing became buzzwords, Rochester was already shaping the way the world sees, measures, and understands light. That work continues today through optics and photonics, industries that remain foundational to Rochester’s economy, workforce, and long-term relevance, even if they rarely make headlines. What Optics and Photonics Actually Mean At its core, optics is the science and engineerin

Rochester, N.Y. - Raising capital is often framed as a milestone, an announcement-worthy achievement marked by press releases, congratulatory posts, and celebratory headlines. But for most founders, the reality is far less polished. Capital raising is not a single moment; it is a prolonged, operationally demanding process that tests clarity of vision, depth of preparation, and personal resilience. For early-stage founders, particularly those outside major venture hubs, unders

BROCKPORT, N.Y. — After spending more than a decade teaching English to students around the world, Stephanie LaScala-Lodato found herself ready for a new challenge. Today, she is the founder of VerbaVista , an early-stage EdTech company launched in 2025 that aims to help English-language educators plan lessons more effectively using technology built by teachers, for teachers. LaScala-Lodato’s path to entrepreneurship was anything but conventional. A native of Port Jefferson,

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - The youth sports industry in the United States has evolved into one of the largest and fastest-growing segments of the broader sports economy, fueled by rising household spending, name/image/likeness (NIL) the professionalization of youth athletics, and increasing interest from institutional investors. Once dominated by community leagues and seasonal play, youth sports today operates as a year-round, pay-to-play ecosystem that mirrors many aspects of profess

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — When the new Highmark Stadium opens at the start of the 2026 NFL season, the Buffalo Bills will be playing in one of the most technologically advanced venues in the world. Now projected to cost more than $2.1 billion, the project combines advanced weather engineering, player-focused performance technology, and next-generation fan infrastructure positioning. For the Bills, a franchise defined by winter, the most visible feature is the stadium’s 360-degree c

Rochester, N.Y. - From CES to Davos, a handful of global conferences shape what business will look like next. Rochester founders should be paying attention. Each year, thousands of executives, policymakers, founders, investors, and technologists converge at a small number of global conferences. These are not trade shows in the traditional sense. They are agenda-setting forums, places where industries align, capital finds direction, and narratives about the future of business

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Constellation Brands, one of the Rochester region’s most globally influential companies, reported its third-quarter fiscal 2026 financial results on Tuesday, reinforcing the company’s position as a leading force in the U.S. beverage alcohol market. The company announced that President and Chief Executive Officer Bill Newlands and Chief Financial Officer Garth Hankinson will host a conference call Thursday, Jan. 8, at 10:30 a.m. ET to discuss results and outl