Collider Foundation

Colliders education centers around the delivery of CO.STARTERS cohorts to help people go from idea to next steps. These cohorts keep the process of starting a business simple and accessible, with the community in mind. CO.STARTERS is highly subsidized and delivered at low cost to the entrepreneur. Last year, 26 entrepreneurs graduated from CO.STARTERS cohorts. Colliders 1:1 startup support services are a confidential, completely free resource to help entrepreneurs refine their business ideas and connect them to the resources they need to grow. Last year, Collider assisted 81 entrepreneurs through this service. 47% of these individuals identified as BIPOC and 57% as women.

Collider believes in the power of storytelling to provide inspiration capital and to showcase the many pathways to entrepreneurship within the community. We share stories of local entrepreneurs through article, video, and podcast content. In 2023, we shared the stories of 33 entrepreneurs, 70% of which identified as gender or racial minorities.

Collider Foundation provided low-cost office space to new and growing businesses in the Rochester area through its Collider Coworking Space. This space works to activate, connect, and empower new and emerging entrepreneurs and businesses by connecting them to resource providers and mentors who are often co-located in the same space. A physical location to conduct business is often a significant barrier faced by emerging small businesses. The goal of the coworking space is to foster the growth of new companies in the Rochester area that will get their start in ColliderCoworking and then move on to their own brick-and-mortar location in the next few years.