
Brown and white ventures
LATEST NEWS
FEBRUARY 16, 2026
How NextCorps Lights Up The ROC/FLX Startup Ecosystem
Highly skilled tech companies have made the Rochester Finger Lakes startup ecosystem steadily grow for generations and its legacy is helping NextCorps foster more growth. In the latest Brown and White Ventures podcast https://youtu.be/YtGgF-GzK0M , NextCorps leader Jim Senall shared how precision manufacturers that've moved through the non-profit's Luminate initiative continue to shine that light for founders and investors. Luminate attracts revolutionary tech startups from around the world and connects them with essential resources, investors, and partners to fuel their success. "We bring these companies from all over the world that have prototypes and they’ve been struggling with design and we introduced them to about three or four of these anchor companies and they’re like `Oh my God they’re gonna move me forward. Like, I’ve been doing this thing all wrong. Like they knew right away what I should be doing this," Senall said. "Those kind of experiences help you remember that the folks we’ve got in our community, the companies we have are very highly skilled and you know we need to continue to bring these new opportunities to them." NextCorps is a nonprofit incubator and accelerator that aims to help tech startups and manufacturers grow in ROC & the FLX region. Startups and entrepreneurs tap into Rochester’s Largest Resource for Startup Programming to Move Forward Faster It helps entrepreneurs who are ready to start or expand their businesses. It responds to a manufactureror production-related company in the region and connects them to funding opportunities and resources to help new companies expand and thrive.
RECENT NEWS

The co-founders of Finta, the AI-powered workflow platform transforming how private companies close deals, shared their company's story on the latest Brown and White Ventures Podcast . The investment supports Finta’s mission to modernize private capital formation by automating the most time-consuming and relationship-driven components of business, prospect research, outreach, warm introductions, and pipeline management. "We think we can work for any high ticket deal. WSe're focused on helping the operator, Aurora is going to help personalize those relationships and help manage the relationships in the CRM," CEO and Co-Founder Kevin Siskar told podcast host Jim Aroune. Finta is built as an end-to-end operating system designed for founders and private companies navigating the complexities of running relationship-driven deals. At the center of the platform is Aurora, Finta’s proprietary AI agent that helps teams identify the right prospects, draft tailored outreach messages, locate warm introduction pathways, and manage relationships through a structured CRM workflow. Co-founder Megan Kelly says it's easy for founders to get stuck in the cycle of fundraising. "More than the direct asking, it's the discipline and structure. Founders are usually idea people. They're sharing their vision for the idea. But usually, it's a lot of tools that need to be used (to raise money,)" Kelly said. "How do I leverage this tool that manages all my relationships, so that I can turn it into action." Learn more about Finta, and Kelly and Siskar's journeys into automating fundraising, in the podcast found at the Brown and White Ventures YouTube page. View the podcast at this link. https://youtu.be/SBYEHK14_L0
FEBRUARY 10, 2026

One year ago, KAVHelmets brought the Rhoan into the wind tunnel. Not for marketing. Not for headlines. But to pressure-test the cycling helmet-maker's ideas in the real world—air, speed, and a rider who knows exactly how it should feel. With TJ Eisenhart on the bike, KAV spent days refining fit, airflow, and positioning inside a wind tunnel Before the helmet had a name. Before it ever reached a rider. Real testing. Real people. Real performance. KAV's Rhoan helmet sets the bar.
FEBRUARY 05, 2026

Finta On Mission To Unlock Capital Access For All
Fundraising has always been one of the most painful and inefficient parts of building a company. Founders juggle spreadsheets, CRMs, email threads, pitch decks, and data rooms—while trying to run a business. The result is a fragmented process that drains time, creates burnout, and often leads to missed opportunities. Finta solves this by consolidating the entire fundraising workflow into a single AI-powered platform. At the core of the product is Aurora, Finta’s proprietary AI agent built specifically for private capital workflows. Aurora automates the hardest parts of fundraising: identifying the right investors, qualifying fit, drafting personalized outreach, tracking engagement, and mapping warm introduction paths across networks. That warm intro mapping is the key differentiator. The memo highlights that 92% of invested capital comes through warm introductions, yet most founders have no structured way to uncover and activate those connections. Finta turns relationship access into a systematic process rather than a luck-based game. The traction validates the model. Finta has already facilitated $745M in new deals, tracked $535M in capital, managed 21,000+ investor relationships, and mapped 20,000+ warm intro pathways. These aren’t vanity metrics—they reflect real fundraising activity happening through the platform. Finta’s subscription SaaS model ($950 annually) also makes it accessible for early-stage founders while supporting long-term scalability. Financial performance shows improving leverage, with gross margins expanding to roughly 67.5% in 2025, signaling a transition toward a scalable SaaS infrastructure business. Ultimately, Finta works because it attacks the real constraint in fundraising: access, efficiency, and execution. By turning relationship-driven capital raising into an AI-driven system, Finta has the potential to become the operating system for private capital formation.
FEBRUARY 05, 2026
WHY BROWN AND WHITE VENTURES?
Integrity
Behaving honorably, even when no one is watching. We follow moral and ethical principles in all aspects of business and extend strong ethical practices in decision making, interacting with colleagues and serving customers or clients.
Insight
Being able to see or understand something clearly, often sensed using intuition. Understanding the company goals enables us to find solutions to even the most difficult tasks.
​
​
Experience
Varied professional experiences makes a difference in venture capital. Our willingness to share that experience and see our companies through adds value to our portfolio.
​
​
Investment Focus

Healthcare and Medical Startups
​
Shaping the future of wellness​

Supporting Diversity in Entrepreneurship
Fostering diversity in entrepreneurship​

Tech and Energy Startups
​
Driving progress towards sustainable solutions​

WNY, FLX, CNY and Upstate
​
Generating growth in the University footprint.









