Why We Do What We Do

Each year, 3 out of each 97 people in the US will start a business. We believe that it's the job of those 97 other people to create a community of support for those 3 new entrepreneurs to lift our communities up and to provide unique spaces and opportunities for people to thrive.

Entrepreneurship is a proven way to empower individuals, provide financial independence, and foster ways out of generational poverty. Most new jobs in the US, in fact, are created by businesses less than 5 years old.

However, entrepreneurship and new business creation is actually in a decades long decline in the US. This trend has been further exacerbated by COVID-19, especially for businesses owned by people of color.

Even under normal circumstances, there is no level playing field for entrepreneurship. Gaps in access to resources and economic opportunities continue to impede business formation by women, people of color, immigrants, rural entrepreneurs, veterans, and LGBTQ+ and disabled entrepreneurs.

2021 could not be a more critical time to provide support for entrepreneurs who need to get their business back on its feet, to help people who have lost a business chart a new path, and to help aspiring entrepreneurs forge their own road towards financial independence.

Collider has always been an entrepreneur focused organization that listens to the needs of entrepreneurs and meets them where they are at on their journey.

We provide events, education, space, storytelling, and personalized navigation services to connect entrepreneurs to the right resource at the right time.

But we need your help and continued support. If you are able to this Give to the Max Day and beyond into 2021, we would greatly appreciate your charitable financial contribution to help us continue our support for Rochester's entrepreneurs.

If you are an individual, you can become a Collider Community Champion and help out Collider as well as local startup 4Giving. If you are a individual, company, or organization interested in larger amounts of financial support, contact us to talk about becoming a Community Supporter. And when you are shopping this holiday season, we encourage that you spend locally. But when you cannot, you can also support Collider by shopping through Amazon Smile.

Please learn more about we do to support Rochester entrepreneurs in our latest annual impact report.

We hope that you consider Collider this Thursday and throughout the upcoming year.

Happy Holidays,

Amanda Leightner