In this episode of the TechRochester Podcast, host Jennifer Sertl sits down with 2025 Technology Woman of the Year Cheryl Nelan, owner of CMIT Solutions of Rochester. Cheryl shares her entrepreneurial journey, lessons in leadership, and how building a successful technology business has remained grounded in service, community, and family. The conversation highlights the power of visibility, mentorship, and the women shaping the future of Rochester's technology ecosystem.

On the TechRochester Podcast, we recently welcomed Stephen DeVay, TechRochester Board Member and current lead for one of the organization’s most enduring and community driven programs, the GREAT Awards.

This episode is part of the TechRiseROC focused podcast series, made possible through the Springboard funding opportunity. Thank you, Springboard. This series extends TechRochester’s mentorship work by creating space for deeper conversations with the leaders, mentors, and founders helping entrepreneurs gain traction and move forward at critical moments in their journey.

The TechRochester Podcast is a community driven conversation series exploring how technology, leadership, and opportunity come together across Greater Rochester. Each episode highlights the people and relationships shaping the region’s innovation ecosystem.

This episode is part of a TechRiseRoc focused podcast series made possible through Springboard funding. The series extends TechRochester’s mentorship work by creating space for deeper conversations with the leaders, mentors, and founders helping entrepreneurs gain traction and move forward at critical moments in their journey.

This opening episode of the TechRochester Podcast features Christina Halladay, Director of the TechRiseROC Program, in a conversation focused on leadership, mentorship, and community development. Christina discusses what led her to engage with TechRochester and the ecosystem needs that informed the creation of TechRiseROC. The episode explores how structured mentorship supports founders in navigating early and growth stage challenges while strengthening connections across the region. Listeners gain insight into how mentors and entrepreneurs are thoughtfully matched to create meaningful progress. The conversation establishes the foundation for a season centered on development, mentorship, sponsorship, and shared accountability within Rochester’s technology community.

A family physician’s firsthand experience inspired MediTeddi—an innovative, tech-enabled solution helping patients take medications more consistently. With support from TechRiseRoc mentors, Dr. Bayer is turning clinical success into a scalable healthcare startup.