The Collider Cup: Celebrating Emerging Rochester Entrepreneurs

Collider to Host Community Celebration for Third Cohort of CO.STARTERS Graduates

Rochester 501(c)3 nonprofit Collider Foundation is excited to announce that we are hosting our third Collider Cup pitch event, which was designed in 2022 to celebrate our CO.STARTERS graduates, give them the opportunity to share their unique business ideas with the Rochester community, and compete for a cash prize, provided by CO.STARTERS sponsor, Minnwest Bank. 

This summer, 14 different participants graduated from CO.STARTERS programming, facilitated by Collider. This included a 10 week cohort based program as well as an intensive two day business bootcamp, in conjunction with the City of Rochester. Our CO.STARTERS participants have worked hard within the program to fine tune their business ideas and determine next steps they need to take to move forward. 

The Collider Cup will take place on Tuesday, September 26th at Collider’s space in the Minnesota BioBusiness Center from 5:00-7:00pm. This event will serve as a business pitch competition as well as a community celebration for these emerging entrepreneurs in Rochester. Three of our CO.STARTERS graduates will be verbally pitching their business ideas. A panel of judges will determine the winner of the pitch competition and the public will be asked to vote for their favorite idea. Six of our summer CO.STARTERS participants will also be presenting their business ideas in an expo format, giving attendees a chance to ask questions and give feedback to each entrepreneur. 

As a new addition to this event, Collider will be hosting a gallery event in conjunction, featuring five portraits of local business owners in the community and sharing words of experience from their entrepreneurial journeys. These portraits will remain on display in the Collider space following their initial release at the Collider Cup. 

Interested individuals can learn more and register for the event here.

“We are proud to host an event such as the Collider Cup here in Rochester. For many of the participating entrepreneurs, this is the first time they’ve ever spoken about their business in public. This event not only gives them exposure for their business, it also serves as a space for them to receive feedback about their early stage ideas and to connect with community members who can help them take the next steps in their journey,” said Amanda Leightner, Collider Foundation Executive Director.

Collider Foundation believes that the support, education, and growth of our entrepreneurial ecosystem is a pathway to a more prosperous and inclusive future for the Rochester community. We as an organization aim to identify and assist local innovators in overcoming barriers to success by empowering an impactful, inclusive, and entrepreneur-first ecosystem. We are excited to have had the opportunity to fulfill our mission through CO.STARTERS and offer assistance to 7 entrepreneurs through this cohort. 

The Collider Cup is sponsored by Altra Federal Credit Union, the Mayo Clinic Department of Business Development, and Minnwest Bank. 

For additional information contact Amanda Leightner at amanda@collider.mn or call (507) 722-0306

Spring 2023 Cohort Collider Cup Celebration