Render Competition now accepting applications Email Facebook

The event, now in its fourth year, looks to provide funding for early-stage startups in the Louisville metro area, while also drawing the attention of entrepreneurs from other places to the area as they look to scale their operations.

Up to eight winners will be given $100,000 in investment funding, in addition to other benefits and resources.

Applications can be accessed at render.capital/competition. The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. CST on May 14. A pool of more than 50 judges will then conduct two rounds of judging — one from May 14-25 and one from June 12 to July 26. A virtual pitch will be done in mid-August, followed by a final round of judging later in the month. Similar to years past, all winners will be invited to give a speech during an event in September at Lynn Family Stadium.

“Through the Render Competition, Render Capital has attracted some of the best startups from around the country to the Greater Louisville area. Because of the amazing entrepreneurs in our portfolio, including the winners of the Render Competition, Render Capital continues to experience success and is able to continue to grow,” said Patrick Henshaw, the firm’s managing director, in a release. “This competition is one of the many ways we are doing our part to make Louisville a top destination for the best startups to flourish and support entrepreneurs.”

Last year, more than 230 applicants from across the world entered their name for consideration, each representing many different types of industry. The judges began narrowing down the list, before they arrived on eight winners: Connect, Fanluv, SenseGrass, Dreami, PrepSharp, Gamerabble, TitleWise and Smoove Creations, the last two of which were also named among our 2023 Startups to Watch.

The only qualification for a company to apply if it identifies itself as being a “high-growth startup,” therefore wanting to scale up in an aggressive manner and then look for an exit. Although founders from any location may apply, the competition mandates winners who do not live in the Louisville metro area to relocate their headquarters or founding team members to the area. One of the winners from 2021, Xena Intelligence, moved its operations from Boston to Louisville, as founder Akhil Suresh Nair told me last November. It too was one our Startups to Watch list in 2023, as was fellow 2021 winner Symba.

Render also announced the hiring of a new member to its team as Triet Nguyen joins the firm as a senior associate. Nguyen has worked in various capacities in similar roles at other organizations, primarily in the Dallas and Austin metro areas. He also volunteered to advise early-stage founders at Dallas Startup Week, Austin Startup Week and South by Southwest (SXSW).

“I’m over the moon at this opportunity to join the Render Capital team and partners in this journey to build a thriving startup and VC ecosystem in Louisville,” Nguyen said in a release. “I’m excited to bring what I've learned from my previous experiences helping founders.”