ROC Startup Week Kicks Off With a Celebration of Rochester's History and Emerging Startups
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Yesterday marked the start of ROC Startup Week, a six-day celebration of entrepreneurship, innovation and the people building Rochester's next generation of businesses.
Monday's programming featured workshops for entrepreneurs, a documentary exploring Rochester's history and an opening reception highlighting nine local startups.
A Look at Rochester's Past and Future
The evening began with a screening of City Mark: The Rochester Logo Documentary at Focus Theater in the Sibley Building.
The film explored the history behind Rochester's iconic city logo and how it became a symbol of the city's identity. The screening offered an opportunity to reflect on Rochester's history of creativity and innovation while looking ahead to the next generation of entrepreneurs shaping the region.
Following the documentary, attendees gathered at Mercantile on Main for a RocGrowth Creative Collisions reception, where local startups took center stage.
Nine Local Startups Take the Spotlight
The reception featured nine startups, giving attendees an opportunity to meet the founders, learn about their businesses and explore the innovation happening across the Rochester region.
The featured companies and founders included:
- Micro Era Power — Stacey VanDenburgh
- Money Pigeon — Chukwuebuka Mgbenka (Ebuka)
- Knotch — Kyla Brown
- Stinger Defense — Alex Pordum and Dylan Sabio
- IMPULSE — Luca Chiossone
- Sentien — Masum Hasan
- DroneGurus — Guruansh Kohli, Spencer Johnson and Nate Bogdan
- Guardivo — Colin Rills and Ekam Ghai
- Scyntek — Karthik Ramakrishnan
The showcase highlighted the range of companies emerging from Rochester's startup community and gave founders an opportunity to introduce their businesses to potential partners, customers and supporters.
Building Connections Across Rochester's Startup Community
Beyond the presentations, the evening reflected one of the central goals of ROC Startup Week: bringing the region's entrepreneurial community together.
Students, founders, business leaders and community members exchanged ideas, shared experiences and made new connections throughout the reception.
The conversations extended beyond individual businesses, creating opportunities for collaboration and strengthening relationships across Rochester's growing startup ecosystem.
A Full Day of Entrepreneurial Programming
Earlier Monday, ROC Startup Week featured sessions designed to help entrepreneurs navigate the challenges of building and growing businesses.
Programming included a Founder Risk Lab hosted by CoPivot, a business-to-business sales session at NextCorps led by Arrow House Group / Connected Know founder Kayte Malik and a discussion on intellectual property protection with attorneys from Troutman Pepper Locke.
Together, the sessions provided practical insights on managing risk, developing sales strategies and protecting intellectual property.
Startup Week Continues Through Saturday
ROC Startup Week continues through Nov. 7, with events focused on entrepreneurship, emerging technologies, business development and investment.
Tuesday's programming includes a Collaborative Entrepreneurship Lab, discussions on emerging technologies and the sold-out Connected Ideas x Startup Grind Rochester Founders Panel at The Inn on Broadway.
The evening panel will feature local entrepreneurs sharing their experiences building and scaling businesses, along with a showcase of emerging startups.
With a full week of programming ahead, Monday's opening events offered a reminder that Rochester's entrepreneurial strength comes not only from its history of innovation but also from the people, businesses and relationships shaping its future.
Explore the full schedule: ROC Startup Week 2026