Rochester Business and Startup News
Upstate Technology, Innovation & Business Coverage

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Upstate Venture Connect (UVC) is taking Upstate founders on the road this spring, launching a series of immersive roadshows designed to connect Upstate New York entrepreneurs with investors, customers, and corporate partners in some of the country’s most active innovation hubs. The nonprofit will lead curated delegations to Detroit (May 18–20), Boston (May 27–28), and New York City (June 2–4), aligning each trip with major tech and startup weeks in those ci

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — More than 20 Rochester-based startups will take the stage Feb. 19 at NextCorps for the local round of the Startup Grind Pitch Battle Royale , a global competition that gives early- and growth-stage founders a shot at international exposure and a trip to the Startup Grind Global Conference in April. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. EST at NextCorps, 260 E. Main St., and will also be available virtually. Founders will compete across three categories Idea, Develop

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

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Long before venture capital became a mainstream career path, Pavan Kumar Tallavajhula was building startups at the edge of the internet’s first wave. Today, as a partner at 3pmVentures , Tallavajhula brings nearly three decades of global operating, investing, and advisory experience to Rochester’s growing startup ecosystem. Founded in 2018, 3pmVentures focuses on early-stage startup investing and strategic advisory, drawing on Tallavajhula’s background in te

Rochester, NY - Brown and White Ventures is backing a biotech innovator, announcing November 25th a new investment in miRecule , a Maryland-based biopharmaceutical company developing antibody RNA therapeutics for rare neuromuscular diseases with limited treatment options. In miRecule, the venture capital fund invests in a biotech startup that applies genomic patient data to create highly tailored therapeutics designed to help patients live a life free from the debilitating s

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

Here’s a closer look at five key players in Rochester’s early-stage investment landscape and what founders and startup leaders need to know about them.