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Upstate Venture Connect Selects Seven High-Growth Startups for 2026 Founder Roadshow to Detroit Tech Week

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, and build strategic relationships.


A High-Intensity Founder Experience


The Founder Fusion Roadshows are structured as two- to three-day, high-intensity immersions, designed to maximize exposure and outcomes for participating startups. Each cohort engages in pre-scheduled meetings with investors, corporate leaders, and prospective customers.


Programming includes targeted workshops aligned to each host city’s industry strengths, curated roundtables, fireside conversations, and facilitated networking with regional experts and Upstate expatriates embedded within those ecosystems.


In Detroit, founders will plug directly into a city recognized for its leadership in mobility, manufacturing, and industrial innovation, sectors undergoing rapid transformation and attracting increased venture and corporate investment.


The 2026 Founder Roadshow Cohort


The selected companies represent a diverse mix of industries shaping the future of the innovation economy:


  • Closet OS (Rochester, NY) – A consumer platform building a “style operating system” that enables users to organize, understand, and intentionally curate their wardrobe.


  • COI Energy (Brooklyn, NY) – A digital energy management company focused on eliminating energy waste and enabling buildings to participate in demand response, efficiency, and renewable energy markets.


  • Connected Know (Rochester, NY) – A business intelligence platform covering startups, venture funding, M&A, and innovation activity in mid-sized cities. The company delivers insights across the full lifecycle of growth and is expanding into new markets in 2026.


  • CryoBio (Ithaca, NY) – An agricultural biotechnology company developing solutions to improve food production and reduce waste across global supply chains.


  • FavorDrop (Buffalo, NY) – A B2B marketing platform that enables businesses to deliver personalized digital promotions, driving engagement, loyalty, and measurable ROI.


  • JECA Energy Bars (Buffalo, NY) – A plant-based consumer brand producing clean, whole-food energy bars with globally inspired flavors and functional nutrition benefits.


  • MoneyPigeon (Rochester, NY) – A fintech platform enabling seamless cross-border payments by connecting foreign accounts to local financial systems, reducing friction and fraud for global users.


Michigan Tech Week: A Growing Innovation Hub


The Roadshow aligns with Michigan Tech Week (May 19–21, 2026), one of the largest gatherings for high-growth founders, investors, and innovation leaders in the mid-west.


Held at the newly revitalized Michigan Central in Detroit, the conference brings together the state’s innovation ecosystem for three days of programming, including workshops, panel discussions, investor meetings, pitch competitions, and curated networking experiences.


Designed as a founder-first event, Michigan Tech Week serves as a central convening point for startups, corporate innovators, students, and community leaders looking to engage in the next wave of technology and venture growth.


The Organizations Behind the Roadshow


Since 2010, Upstate Venture Connect (UVC) has played a critical role in supporting founders across Upstate New York by facilitating access to capital, expertise, and strategic connections. The organization serves nearly 700 high-growth companies through curated introductions, programming, and thought leadership designed to accelerate venture-scale businesses.


The Founder Roadshow reflects UVC’s continued expansion beyond regional connectivity, creating direct pipelines between Upstate startups and national innovation ecosystems.


The program is underwritten by Springboard New York, an ecosystem accelerator focused on strengthening the entrepreneurial infrastructure across Western New York. Springboard works to ensure founders can access a “no wrong doors” network of resources, connecting organizations, capital, and support systems across Buffalo, Rochester, and the Southern Tier.


Backed by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, Springboard plays a central role in advancing place-based economic development and scaling innovation across the region.


A Broader Signal for Upstate Innovation


The 2026 Founder Roadshow represents more than a single delegation, it signals a more coordinated, outward-facing strategy for Upstate New York’s innovation economy.


By embedding founders into high-growth markets like Detroit, UVC and its partners are creating new pathways for capital access, market expansion, and ecosystem integration.


As these seven companies take part in Michigan Tech Week this May, they represent a region increasingly focused on scaling beyond its borders, while continuing to build momentum at home.

Connected Know covers Rochester and Western New York business, tech, startups, and emerging industries.

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