Connect with Race for the Space info@raceforthespace.org | (585) 981-1818
The Contest
Here's how Race for the Space works:
1. Apply - Contestants may submit an application online and provide a brief narrative of the business idea for launch in downtown Rochester, applications are due in October 2025.
2. Announce - Race for the Space review committee reviews the applications and selects the finalists.
3. Accelerate - The finalists will participate in Accelerator and Incubator Activities coached by legendary Rochester entrepreneurs hosted at the Victor E. Salerno Center for American Enterprise at St. John Fisher University. Three sessions will be held on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
4. Celebrate - The community will come together to watch the finalists pitch their business ideas to a panel of judges - "Shark Tank-style". Finalists have 5 minutes to convince the judges that their business will thrive in downtown Rochester.
5. Build - Rochester's top construction teams, and hundreds of Rochester volunteers will build out the downtown retail locations customized for the winners business needs.
6. Reveal -Retail locations will be revealed and celebrated at a grand opening. Shoppers and diners can check out Rochester's newest hot spots on Small Business Saturday, just in time for holiday shopping season.