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

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A Rochester-based startup is solving one of the internet’s most persistent friction points: passwords. Locke , led by CEO Connor Peters, has announced the release of Open Passkey , a new, 100% free, open-source library designed to make passwordless authentication simple to implement across nearly any application. Alongside the library, the company is also launching Locke Gateway, a free, "backendless" authentication server that allows developers to deploy se

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Upstate Venture Connect (UVC) has announced the eight founders from seven high-growth Upstate startups selected to participate in its first Founder Roadshow of 2026, a curated delegation heading to Michigan Tech Week in Detroit this May. The “Upstate to Detroit: Founders Roadshow” will bring a cohort of venture-scale companies into one of the Midwest’s fastest-growing innovation hubs for a multi-day immersion designed to accelerate growth, unlock capital,

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — TechRochester has officially announced the nominees for its 2026 Technology Woman of the Year and Emerging Technology Woman of the Year Awards, marking the 25th anniversary of one of the region’s most established recognitions of women in technology. The annual event highlights leaders across Greater Rochester who are driving innovation, advancing STEM careers, and strengthening the local technology ecosystem. The awards also emphasize mentorship, community

ROCHESTER, NY — The winners have been announced and leaders across the region’s technology ecosystem gathered to celebrate innovation, collaboration, and impact at the 2026 GREAT Awards , TechRochester’s annual recognition of the individuals, teams, and organizations shaping the future of technology in Greater Rochester. The GREAT Awards, short for Greater Rochester Excellence and Achievements in Technology, highlight the companies, researchers, students, and innovators using

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Iter Opus , a U.S.-based technology startup developing artificial intelligence-driven hiring and career tools, has selected downtown Rochester as the site of its new headquarters, positioning itself within the city’s growing innovation corridor. The company has moved into the historic Powers Building. Iter Opus is preparing to scale its flagship product, Levii.io , a private AI-powered platform designed to match job seekers with career pathways and align em

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. — Constellation Brands , one of the largest beverage alcohol companies in the United States and a cornerstone of Rochester’s corporate landscape, announced Thursday that Nicholas Fink will become its next President and Chief Executive Officer effective April 13, 2026. Fink will succeed Bill Newlands, who has served as President and CEO since 2019. Newlands will step down from the role on April 13 and remain as a strategic advisor for several months to support

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

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

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. - 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. — As more small businesses compete for attention in an increasingly crowded digital landscape, Hannah Lavigne has built a business around helping brands stand out with clarity and intention. As the owner and head designer of Sage James Creative , Lavigne works with entrepreneurs and small businesses to translate their ideas into cohesive websites, branding, and digital identities. Founded in 2019, Sage James Creative is a website design and branding studio ser

ROCHESTER, N.Y.  — Flower City AI returned Wednesday for its third year, filling The Little Theatre with technologists, founders, educators, healthcare leaders and students for a full-day program focused on Rochester’s emergence as a growing hub for applied artificial intelligence. Unlike traditional industry conferences, Flower City AI is intentionally community-driven designed to bring together researchers, builders and local organizations shaping how AI is deployed acros

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. — Rochester’s tech leaders, founders, and innovators gathered at the Jackrabbit Club in Village Gate last night for a high-energy celebration of TechRiseRoc , TechRochester ’s mentorship-driven program designed to help early-stage entrepreneurs gain traction and grow. The event brought together established industry professionals and up-and-coming founders to celebrate TechRiseRoc, TechRochester's signature mentor–mentee matching program. The program pairs entr

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

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 remains a vital player in New York’s economic landscape. Not just through startups and research, but through established, market-listed enterprises that continue to anchor and employ thousands across the region.