Campus Spotlight

September 2, 2025

<p>ROC the Pitch, the startup business pitch competition hosted by RIT’s Center for Urban Entrepreneurship, celebrated its fifth anniversary on Aug. 28. Three local startups and four student teams from RIT, University of Rochester, and St. John Fisher University competed in front of an audience and a panel of judges for more than $35,000 in prizes. <a href="https://www.expstudio.org/about/company">EXP Studio</a>, which provides affordable access to industry-standard resources, workshops, and workspaces, took home the grand prize. Pictured, from left to right, are Ebony Miller, director of RIT’s CUE; Antwan Russell and Alexis Russell, EXP Studio co-founders; and Assunta Davidson, CUE program manager.</p>

Photo by Peter Parts

ROC the Pitch, the startup business pitch competition hosted by RIT’s Center for Urban Entrepreneurship, celebrated its fifth anniversary on Aug. 28. Three local startups and four student teams from RIT, University of Rochester, and St. John Fisher University competed in front of an audience and a panel of judges for more than $35,000 in prizes. EXP Studio, which provides affordable access to industry-standard resources, workshops, and workspaces, took home the grand prize. Pictured, from left to right, are Ebony Miller, director of RIT’s CUE; Antwan Russell and Alexis Russell, EXP Studio co-founders; and Assunta Davidson, CUE program manager.

six people stand on a stage holding a comically large check.

Photo by Peter Parts

ROC the Pitch, the startup business pitch competition hosted by RIT’s Center for Urban Entrepreneurship, celebrated its fifth anniversary on Aug. 28. Brennan Conn, a second-year business major from St. John Fisher University representing Challkbar, a product designed to ease rock climbing in gyms, was the student winner. Pictured, from left to right, are Ebony Miller, CUE director; Yasmin Mattox, competition judge; Conn; Chantz Miles, the Rebecca Pelino Entrepreneur-in-Residence and visiting assistant professor, St. John Fisher University; Ryne Raffaelle, RIT vice president for Research; and Daniel Connolly, dean and professor, School of Business, St. John Fisher University.
All Campus Spotlights