Close to 70 companies are currently part of NextCorps’ startup incubator, the largest and longest-running incubator in the region. Incubate with us and you can take advantage of a host of benefits, including business-building workshops and monthly founder roundtables to learn from your peers, discounts on popular startup software products, and office hours with local service providers, from legal professionals to investors who can help you refine your pitch.
One of the most valuable benefits of incubator membership is direct access to our Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIRs)—seasoned founders who have built and led successful companies. These advisors are here to help our clients set goals, navigate challenges, and accelerate their growth.
Thanks to a grant from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, NextCorps recently added four new EIRs to offer even more support to our growing startup community. Get to know two of them here, and look out for part two next month.
Dr. Pavan Kumar: Global founder, investor, and startup strategist
Dr. Pavan Kumar comes to NextCorps with nearly three decades of experience founding, funding, and guiding startups around the world, and working for global enterprises in India, the Middle East, and the U.S. He launched his own fund in 2014 and has helped ventures navigate every stage of growth—from zero to one, to scale, to exit—including five successful exits and one IPO.
“The startup space always excites me, and now the timing is right,” Pavan said of his move to Rochester in 2018. “Things are growing here, and I want to be part of it.”
Since joining as an EIR, Pavan has already connected with many founders at NextCorps. With a PhD in business management and a background in tech, Pavan can help across the board—from product development and operations to fundraising and scaling—but his passion lies in building smart strategies and action plans.
“I’ve seen the struggle phase. For quite a few companies, I’ve been their first check,” he shared. “I think the most critical part for any startup founder is to be very strategic. You need a systemic approach and a clear game plan.”
Rather than meet over Zoom, Pavan is keen to post up in our co-working space downtown, but you won’t catch him in the same spot twice.
“I keep changing my desk here, because I don’t want to create a comfort zone. By switching up your perspective, the right half of your brain kicks in. The left half gravitates toward the same habits and routines, and that’s how you get stuck.”
Pavan encourages the founders he meets to do the same. “The entrepreneurial journey is sometimes lonely and full of roadblocks. It’s so important to spend time in a different environment and meet with others, share your thoughts and ideas. You may be thinking in a certain way, and another entrepreneur has another point of view. Nobody can solve your problems for you, but by taking in others’ experiences and perspectives, you can make your journey easier.”
At this phase in his career, what drives Pavan most is the potential to make an impact.
“If my contribution can help someone, that’s the most exciting thing. These founders go on to hire people, to create opportunities. That’s the biggest reward.”
Rick Pereira: People-first founder, fundraising coach, and growth driver
Rick Pereira has spent more than a decade growing companies across industries and continents. At Slice, a startup focused on helping independent pizzerias thrive, he joined as employee 20 and helped scale the team to 1,000 across the U.S., Macedonia, and Northern Ireland. Along the way, he discovered a gap in compensation data, which led him to co-found Welcome, an HR SaaS startup that was recently acquired by BambooHR.
“I love the whole ‘zero to one’ journey. For companies at NextCorps in the earlier stages, I can help them build the team they need,” Rick shared. “Part of that is understanding compensation. You have to give equity to get talent, but how much? What’s fair? I’ve made mistakes there. Now I can help others avoid making the same ones.”
In addition to helping founders structure and scale their teams, Rick is passionate about guiding early fundraising efforts.
“There’s an art to fundraising and the storytelling that goes around it—figuring out how to position yourself and how to ‘slow drip’ to investors, just like you would with a marketing campaign. My expertise is around pre-fundraising, how to build the engine that enables you to go out there and raise.”
And once that engine is built, Rick encourages founders to stay strategic and selective about who comes on board.
“All capital is not created equal. The wrong investors can slow you down. You need to do your due diligence and ask, are they going to help you, or become your biggest headache?”
As an EIR, Rick hopes to be a sounding board and second perspective—especially for solo founders who don’t have a co-founder to bounce ideas off of.
“Sometimes as a founder, you can have blinders on. That’s what happened to us at Welcome when we were raising,” Rick shared. “One of our investors asked, ‘Hey, what about data?’ That question changed everything. Data is now a core part of Welcome that wasn’t there in the beginning, and we weren’t even thinking about it. I may not always have domain expertise for the founders I meet, but I might be able to give them one insight that can shift their thinking.”
And for those facing the early challenges of startup life, Rick brings empathy and encouragement.
“I’m excited to work through problems with founders. Once you start raising, you’re off to the races, but this is the fun part—getting there. It doesn’t always feel that way when you’re in it, but I can show them it’s all part of the journey.”