Eight winners to be selected for $100,000 investment award at event on September 23rd
Render Capital, a $15 million regional fund that is focused on providing early-stage risk capital for entrepreneurs in Louisville and Southern Indiana, has named 13 finalists for its 2021 Render Competition, who now have a shot at $100,000 to help turn their startup dreams into reality.
The competition makes funding more accessible to local early-stage startups in the Greater Louisville region, while also helping attract new entrepreneurs to the area. Out of the 13 finalists, eight winners will be awarded an investment of $100,000 on Thursday, Sept. 23, during the event at the Lynn Family Stadium.
Of the 302 applicants from 27 countries, the 13 Render Competition finalists include: DiningTek (Broomfield, CO), Symba (Louisville, KY), Innovative Therapeutix, Inc. (Louisville, KY), Rivet (Boston, MA), Moolathon (Louisville, KY), Xena Intelligence (Boston, MA), HealthOpX (East Lansing, MI), Repaytient (Louisville, KY), Veeper, Inc. (Kansas City, MO), Wellness Wins (St. Louis, MO), Legal Gantt (Louisville, KY), DenScore (Des Moines, IA), and XpressRun (Louisville, KY).
“Securing the early-stage funding that is needed to take a startup to the next level can be difficult for many founders,” said Marigrace Ragsdale, Senior Associate at Render Capital. “Through the Render Competition, we offer the funds in addition to meaningful support for startups to truly thrive in our community. Render Capital is proud to play a part in expanding and strengthening the entrepreneurial scene in the Louisville and Southern Indiana area.”
On Thursday, Sept. 23, Render Capital will host a Pitch Event to conclude the final selection process of the Render Competition and announce the eight winners that will each be awarded a $100,000 investment. The winners will be selected by a group of expert judges that includes: Allie Burns (CEO, Village Capital), Vik Chadha (CEO, Scalable Ventures and General Partner, Unbridled Ventures), Kellie Kuzmuk (Growth Lead Product Manager, Rise Science), Jacob Schpok (Vice President of Entrepreneurial Services, Elevate Ventures) and Patrick Henshaw (Managing Director, Render Capital). At the event, guests will hear pitches from the winning companies, as well as a keynote address from speaker Brian Brackeen. Brackeen is a General Partner at Lightship Capital, the $50 million dollar Cincinnati-based venture capital firm that is dedicated to supporting underrepresented entrepreneurs in the Midwest.
Industries represented by this year’s finalists include healthcare, e-commerce, logistics, food and beverage, and more. The Render Competition aims to fund high-growth startups that are typically technology-forward, that can also grow quickly and significantly. These are companies that will most likely seek venture capital funding in order to fuel their growth into other markets. Startups from any location could apply; however, winners who do not live in the Greater Louisville region must relocate their headquarters to this area.
Sponsors for this year’s pitch event include MCM CPAs and Advisors, Endeavor, KY Inno, Venture First, and Monroe Shine. Program sponsors for the Render Competition include Amplify Louisville, Louisville Future of Work Initiative, UPS, Greater Louisville Inc. and Samtec.
To learn more about the Render Competition or to register for a free ticket to the event, visit https://buff.ly/2VAvqDu.
About Render Capital - Render Capital is a Louisville, KY-based investment firm focused on deploying a capital strategy that boosts the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem by investing in the best startups in our region. We envision a robust and thriving regional economy where entrepreneurs see Louisville and Southern Indiana as a place they can find appropriate risk capital necessary for them to start and grow. Render Capital is a regional fund of Access Ventures. Learn more at http://render.capital.
