ROC Startup Week Wraps Up With Student Innovation, Investor Connections and $10,000 Business Competition
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — ROC Startup Week concluded Saturday, Nov. 7, with a spotlight on the next generation of entrepreneurs, as six student-led startups competed in the Mark Ain Business Model Competition for funding and recognition.
The final two days of the weeklong celebration focused on scaling businesses, raising capital and turning innovative ideas into viable companies. Programming at NextCorps on Friday brought founders together for discussions on technology infrastructure and fundraising, while Saturday's competition showcased emerging ventures across artificial intelligence, biotechnology, sports technology and autonomous systems.
DroneGurus took first place and the $10,000 grand prize, Su Cubed earned second place and the People's Choice Award, and Roster finished third.
Scaling Startups and Accessing Capital
Friday's programming at NextCorps focused on two challenges facing early-stage companies: preparing for growth and securing funding.
Grant Wrazen, former infrastructure leader at ACV Auctions, presented a session on scaling startups through platform engineering. The discussion explored how founders can build technology infrastructure that supports expansion without introducing unnecessary complexity or costs.
A fundraising panel followed, examining different approaches to financing startup growth, including venture capital, angel investment, grants, bootstrapping and crowdfunding.
The day concluded with networking opportunities, giving entrepreneurs additional time to connect with investors, mentors and other members of Rochester's startup community.
Mark Ain Business Model Competition Showcases Six Startups
The Mark Ain Business Model Competition at the University of Rochester brought student entrepreneurs to the stage to pitch their business models, demonstrate progress and compete for funding.
Six ventures presented solutions addressing challenges across commercial real estate, health care, sports, nonprofit operations and advanced technology.
First Place: DroneGurus — $10,000
DroneGurus won the competition's top prize with its vision for autonomous drones that clean, inspect and monitor commercial buildings.
The company currently provides drone-based exterior cleaning and thermal inspections designed to identify potential problems such as water intrusion, insulation deficiencies and failing window seals.
Its long-term business model centers on rooftop docking systems that would allow drones to autonomously launch, clean, inspect and return to their stations. Building owners would receive maintenance alerts through a connected application.
Second Place and People's Choice: Su Cubed
Su Cubed, a planned University of Rochester spinout, is developing an experimental treatment aimed at restoring cognitive function in patients affected by Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.
Its proposed therapy, YYA-1, uses a two-agent immune-modulating approach intended to strengthen the body's natural protective mechanisms.
Unlike existing treatments primarily focused on slowing disease progression, Su Cubed is pursuing the possibility of reversing cognitive decline, an objective that remains to be demonstrated clinically.
The company earned both second place and the People's Choice Award.
Third Place: Roster
Roster, founded by twin women's basketball players at the University of Rochester, is developing a social networking platform dedicated to the sports community.
The platform aims to bring athletes, coaches, teams, clubs, organizations and fans into one digital environment where they can build relationships, showcase achievements and discover opportunities.
Roster seeks to address the fragmentation of sports communities across traditional social media, recruiting platforms and messaging applications.
Additional Competitors
Three other startups competed, highlighting the diversity of technologies and business models being developed by emerging entrepreneurs.
- Mission Document Intelligence AI (MDI AI): A Maryland-based startup developing a secure, affordable AI-powered document intelligence platform to reduce administrative burdens for nonprofit organizations.
- MuLinx: A biotechnology company developing a modular micro-organ-on-a-chip platform for neurological and immune-related disease modeling and drug screening. Its technology aims to reduce reliance on animal testing while improving drug development efficiency.
- Vexilla Labs: A technology startup developing VX1, an information-management operating system for drones, vehicles and remote sensors. The software prioritizes critical information transmission when connectivity is limited or interrupted.
A Strong Finish for Rochester's Entrepreneurial Community
The final two days of ROC Startup Week highlighted two important parts of building a successful startup ecosystem: helping existing companies overcome barriers to growth and supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Friday's sessions provided practical guidance on technology infrastructure and financing, while Saturday's competition demonstrated how student founders are applying emerging technologies to real-world business challenges.
The six competing companies represented opportunities across multiple industries, from Alzheimer's research and commercial building automation to sports networking and artificial intelligence.
With DroneGurus taking home the $10,000 grand prize and additional recognition going to Su Cubed and Roster, the competition closed ROC Startup Week 2026 with a focus on the ideas and entrepreneurs shaping the region's future.
For more information, visit ROC Startup Week.