Voice of Business Blog

Jim Senall of NextCorps was featured on “Geared for Growth” on Wednesday, July 19^th as part of Greater Rochester Chamber’s ongoing partnership with 13WHAM. NextCorps runs a startup incubator that helps tech companies launch and grow in the Greater Rochester region, as well as several regional and international accelerator programs. The non-profit is celebrating its 5^th anniversary in downtown Rochester and Senall discussed what a tech startup incubator is, how it helps entrepreneurs thrive, and what the future has in store.

Since moving to downtown five years ago, NextCorps has helped 148 startups out of its incubator in the Sibley Building. The company provides coaching and mentoring, legal, accounting, and marketing support, a prototyping facility, and more to local entrepreneurs looking to grow their companies. The organization's industry-specific accelerator programs have assisted over 500 companies throughout the region and well beyond, encouraging international companies to expand or set up shop here in Rochester.

Senall shared how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted NextCorps’s work over the past five years, and shared that, perhaps surprisingly, there was not a big dip in the number of startups born during the pandemic. “Sometimes the best companies are formed during adverse economic times, and we saw some of that,” he noted.

He also discussed the synergies that are created in a startup incubator such as NextCorps. Jim noted that, “The resources are helpful but almost as important is being among peers. The founders get together monthly and they learn from each other.” He also shared that on multiple occasions startups have been able to provide solutions to other startups in the incubator or combined to create a better product offering. “With so many companies in the program, we’re seeing a lot more of those kind of things happening,” he shared.

When asked where he sees NextCorps five years from now, Senall said that their focus moving forward is to add to their services for startups, but also to elevate Rochester as a technology and innovation hub on a global scale. “We’ve been heads down working with these companies, but now it’s time to let the rest of the world know what’s happening here in Rochester, NY,” he said.