La Lew Public Relations Won RIT Pitch Competition
The local firm secured the grand prize during the Rochester Institute of Technology's business competition.
Updated on Sept. 20, 2026 in Openings & Closings
Live Poll
Do you believe local grant competitions are an effective way to help small businesses succeed?
La Lew Public Relations won the $15,000 grand prize at the RIT Business Pitch Competition. The event awarded a total of $25,000 in grants to small businesses based in Rochester.
Why it matters
This competition provides essential capital and growth opportunities for local entrepreneurs. It helps small businesses scale their operations by rewarding innovative business models and community-focused services.
La Lew Public Relations received $15,000 for the grand prize and an additional $2,000 for the People's Choice Award. Runner-up Allergy Advocates NY was awarded $10,000 plus a $1,000 grant from the Rochester Rotary.
The players
La Lew Public Relations
This local business won the competition's grand prize and the People's Choice Award.
Allergy Advocates NY
This participating organization served as the competition runner-up and received multiple grants.
Rochester Institute of Technology
This educational institution hosted the event through its Center for Urban Entrepreneurship.
The details
Participants in the competition completed a mandatory 24-hour Business Pitch Bootcamp and two hours of professional consulting. During the finals, entrepreneurs presented their business models in seven-minute sessions followed by five minutes of questioning from a panel of judges.
Timeline
September 20, 2026
Market Landscape
This event follows a pattern set by the RIT Center for Urban Entrepreneurship's business development programs by providing targeted capital to early-stage ventures. Such initiatives increasingly act as primary pipelines for local economic growth within the regional Finger Lakes business sector.
Local residents and clients can expect these winning small businesses to expand their capacity and service offerings. This infusion of capital typically translates to more robust availability of local services in the Rochester area.
The takeaway
Small businesses can leverage structured bootcamps to refine their operations and compete for critical funding. Local entrepreneurs are encouraged to utilize resources from academic institutions to improve their chances of securing capital.
Further reading
Learn more about local business development by visiting the Openings & Closings section.
More information
Submit a proposal for future cohorts through the RIT business pitch competition application.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Democrat and Chronicle.
Live Poll
Do you believe local grant competitions are an effective way to help small businesses succeed?
