Once reliant on the "Big Three" employers of Kodak, Xerox and Bausch & Lomb, Rochester's "entrepreneurship by necessity" leveraged the talent and infrastructure of the region to EVOLve its economy to be both more diversified and resilient. A key to that EVOLution has been programs like The Entrepreneur's Network (TEN), which trains entrepreneurs and helps to cultivate an ecosystem that can support their growth.

Despite that success, Rochester was reflective of the broader entrepreneurial community with inadequate support and access to funding for female entrepreneurs, with less than 5% of venture capital funding going to women-led tech companies. Thanks to a partnership with Chloe Capital, a female-led fund investing in female-led startups, TEN had their first class focused exclusively on female entrepreneurs. Now, they're doubling down with another all-female cohort! Tune in to hear more about how TEN is beating the typical startup success rate, and get an application in for the next cohort by 8/31!

Jean Kase plays a strategic role for Monroe County and NextCorps, connecting people and resources in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. She has recruited and served more than 300 founders and senior managers of startups and small businesses throughout Upstate New York.

Rooted in the Rochester community, she previously served as vice president of public affairs for the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce, representing 2,100 member firms in government matters affecting the regional business climate. In this capacity, she advised CEO’s on legislative and political issues.

Jean is an active investor in the Rochester Angel Network (RAN,) comprised of 85 accredited investors and serves as a judge for several regional business plan competitions. She provides clients with advocacy, business development and project management services. She earned her undergraduate degree at St. John Fisher College and an MBA from Rochester Institute of Technology.