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Rochester
The stories behind the companies being built in Rochester.
Founder Insights
Business NewsApr 26, 2026This Rochester Founder Is Fixing Cross-Border Payments for Emerging MarketsROCHESTER, N.Y. — For Chukwuebuka Mgbenka, the idea behind MoneyPigeon did not come from theory, it came from lived experience.By Connected Know
Founder InsightsApr 8, 2026Style Meets Software: Inside Rochester’s Newest Fashion Tech StartupROCHESTER, N.Y. — After more than a decade in the tech industry, Kyla Brown is applying her product mindset to a new challenge: fixing how people shop online.By Connected Know
Founder InsightsMar 17, 2026Founder Insights: How Perdix Software CEO Steven Smith Is Digitizing Manufacturing from RochesterROCHESTER, N.Y. — Long before he was building software for manufacturers, Steven Smith was already experimenting with entrepreneurship.By Connected Know
Founder InsightsFeb 17, 2026Turning Advocacy Into Action: A Rochester Founder’s JourneyVICTOR, N.Y. — When Samantha Taylor launched Olive Speech Therapy, in 2022, she was not just starting a private practice.By Connected Know
Founder InsightsJan 28, 2026Founder Spotlight: Family Concierge Founder Brings a New Standard to Household Staffing in Rochester and BeyonROCHESTER, N.Y. — When Stephanie Williams launched Family Concierge in 2022, she wasn’t setting out to build just another nanny service. She was responding to a gap she had experienced firsthand.By Connected Know
Founder InsightsJan 20, 2026Founder Insights: How Locke CEO Connor Peters Is Tackling Identity Challenges in Cybersecurity from RochesterROCHESTER, 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.By Connected Know
Founder InsightsJan 13, 2026Founder Spotlight: VerbaVista Founder Turns a Global Teaching Career Into an EdTech Startup Built in RochesterBROCKPORT, N.Y. — After spending more than a decade teaching English to students around the world, Stephanie LaScala-Lodato found herself ready for a new challenge.By Connected Know
Founder InsightsJan 3, 2026Founder Insights: Pavan Kumar Tallavajhula Brings a Global Lens to Early-Stage Investing in RochesterROCHESTER, N.Y. — Long before venture capital became a mainstream career path, Pavan Kumar Tallavajhula was building startups at the edge of the internet’s first wave.By Connected Know
Founder InsightsDec 15, 2025Founder Spotlight: How Sage James Creative Is Helping Rochester Businesses Clarify Their Brand OnlineRochester, 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.By Connected Know
Founder InsightsDec 4, 2025This Rochester Founder Is Brewing a New Kind of Celebration - No Alcohol RequiredROCHESTER, N.Y. — When Shelley Elkovich launched For Bitter For Worse in early 2020, she wasn’t just introducing another beverage brand, she was reimagining what it means to raise a glass.By Connected Know
Founder InsightsNov 18, 2025Founder Spotlight: This Rochester Founder Is Turning Coffee Into a Candy Bar and Shaking Up CPGROCHESTER, N.Y. — After three decades in the food and beverage industry, Rochester native Thomas Seymour is channeling his expertise into a new kind of coffee experience.By Connected Know
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