Rochester entrepreneurs have a new potential source of funding courtesy of local nonprofit Collider.
The organization announced Thursday that it will begin offering Entrepreneurial Inclusion Open Grants, a series of "microgrants" that will provide up to $100 in support to help fund entrepreneurial education events in Rochester.
Collider said in a statement that the microgrants are designed to help "level the playing field" for entrepreneurs who have been systemically left behind due to demographic, socioeconomic and geographic barriers.
This also includes women, people of color, foreign nationals, LGBTQ individuals, veterans or disabled business owners.
The grants are supported by funding from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a Kansas City, Mo.-based nonprofit that provides education and resources to entrepreneurs throughout the country.
Collider will award grants for events like coffee meetups, business happy hours, business courses, fireside chats or networking events. Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a quarterly basis. The first deadline is March 16.
Collider was founded by Rochester entrepreneur Jamie Sundsbak in 2016. It started as a coworking space to support entrepreneurial activity in the city and jumpstart new companies. Through Collider, Sundsbak previously told Minne Inno, he hoped to facilitate "random collisions" that bring more ideas and opportunities to the startup community.
The company has expanded since then, adding the Collider Foundation, a nonprofit that supports Rochester's entrepreneurs through events, education and workspace.
“Rochester really is a small place,” Sundsbak said. “It’s a place for people who feel like a small drop in a pond can come and have a huge impact.”
