While The Brandery accelerator's ninth cohort — or "batch" — has been busy at work since Nov. 29, their identities were just formally announced by the entity today.
The class of six will spend four months developing their startups within the Cincy ecosystem. During this time, the participating startups are matched with agency partners, such as Interbrand, Lighting Industries, Grey Group, VMLY&R, and Icon. Additionally, they receive a year's worth of free office space; a $100,000 equity investment; and more than $200,000 in "additional benefits." The experience will culminate with a Demo Day on March 21.
"The Brandery’s Batch 9 cohort has brought incredible founders and technology to the region since the program kicked off in November," said Program Manager Jess Kerr. "All six companies come from out of town (many having never been to Cincinnati), and they’re resoundingly impressed with the StartupCincy ecosystem, corporate innovation and overall resources that are unique to the Queen City. The mentorship, programming and support offered to the companies are better than ever thanks to our newly formed partnership with gener8tor. We can’t wait to share their progress at Demo Day! (Fun facts: half of the cohort has at least one female founder and ALL of the founders are Skyline Chili fans)."
Added Managing Director Jeff Boeh: "The Brandery Batch 9 cohort exemplifies what we look for when we invest in companies. While they all range in their current stage, the commonality amongst them is amazing founders. The Batch 9 Founders bring an incredible wealth of knowledge, domain expertise and diverse perspectives to their respected startups. It is great watching them grow together and supporting one another along the way."
We outline the six companies below, with descriptions as provided by The Brandery.
- Ad Badger — Austin, Texas: "[It's] SaaS platform earns Amazon Seller Businesses more profit in less time by optimizing and automating advertising campaigns. Amazon Pay-Per-Click advertising accounts for 10-40 percent of a typical Amazon Seller's Business and is the fastest growing digital advertising network — the third largest behind Facebook and Google. Ad Badger's software improves advertising ROI for Amazon Seller Businesses through automated bid algorithms, keyword management, campaign optimization, and education."
- Brandefy — Richmond, Virginia: "[It's] mobile app allows shoppers to compare store-brand and name-brand products to identify high-quality store brands while avoiding poor-quality substitutes. By conducting consumer panel tests and comparing product ingredients, Brandefy generates a Similarity Score to help shoppers make the best purchase decision. CPG manufacturers and retailers serve coupons to Brandefy’s user base to capture those customers at the point of decision." Read more about Branedfy here.
- Nollapelli — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: "[It] designs and manufacturers bedsheets and pillowcases that are scientifically engineered to care for your skin while you sleep. By integrating simple skin science principles into the creation of fabrics, Nollapelli aims to revolutionize the textile industry while maximizing skin health, comfort and overall wellness for consumers. Over $1 trillion is spent per year on beauty and anti-aging, and Nollapelli plans to introduce a range of textile-based products to promote skin wellness."
- Norton Hurley: — "[It] provides a discreet, e-commerce monthly subscription of adult diapers to the 25 million-plus Americans who suffer from incontinence. Norton Hurley’s online marketplace for adult diapers supports anyone dealing with incontinence issues, but is primarily targeting the 75 million baby boomers. Norton Hurley is led by a team that built the marketing strategy for Chewy.com — the largest e-commerce exit in history.
- Pear Commerce— Minneapolis, Minnesota: "[It] bridges the gap between grocery CPG companies and their retailers. Pear’s software embeds directly into current CPG digital advertisements or websites, creating a call to action and collecting consumers’ information on behalf of the CPG. Pear pairs the consumers in real time with a local retailer to fulfill the transaction."
- PopBase— Burbank, California: "[It's] digital distribution platform connects brands (e.g. Disney) and consumers through a gamified experience, hosted by a digital avatar (e.g. Mickey Mouse). Consumers engage with the avatar through play on any device (mobile, web, PC). Brands personalize and gamify every aspect of the experience with ease through a web-based dashboard.
