As the Nation Approaches Its 250th Birthday, Rochester Startup TheirStory.io Tapped to Preserve Voices for America250
- Connected Know
- Sep 14, 2025
- 2 min read
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — As the United States nears its 250th anniversary, a Rochester-based startup is taking on a national role in preserving the stories that define America. TheirStory.io has been selected as the official oral history provider for America250, the country’s multi-year commemoration of its semiquincentennial.
TheirStory.io is a fast-growing oral history technology company headquartered in Rochester. Built to make storytelling more accessible, the platform allows individuals and organizations to record, transcribe, archive, and share oral histories through an intuitive, browser-based interface. It is already used by universities, libraries, foundations, and families across the country.
The partnership with America250 puts TheirStory at the forefront of a historic storytelling initiative. Over the next two years, the America250 Foundation will collect and curate thousands of first-person accounts from across all 50 states and U.S. territories.
TheirStory.io’s technology will serve as the infrastructure for managing and preserving those narratives, creating a digital time capsule of American identity, memory, and change.
The selection of TheirStory marks a significant win not only for the company, but also for Rochester’s startup community. As tech ecosystems in mid-sized cities continue to grow, TheirStory demonstrates how mission-driven software from Western New York can be a leader on a national stage.
This collaboration also represents a shift in how history is captured. Instead of relying solely on historians and archivists, America250 will empower everyday Americans to contribute their voices directly, in their own words. Teachers, immigrants, small business owners, veterans, activists, and others will all be invited to share their experiences, creating a democratized archive of the country’s past and present.
With the official America250 celebrations culminating on July 4, 2026, TheirStory.io will play a vital role in making sure that the commemoration reflects the full diversity of the American experience not just what happened, but how it felt, sounded, and was lived.
For more information:
Connected Know covers innovation, startups, and business transformation in Rochester and Western New York.
Comments