GBeta Cincy, an equity-free accelerator program for early-stage startups, has kicked off its fall 2023 cohort, and the class includes five locally based companies looking to scale.
The startups were selected from a pool of more than 40 applications across Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. The companies were chosen based on their growth potential and investor readiness, according to a news release.
This is the fifth time since 2018 that Wisconsin-based Gener8tor has run GBeta Cincy. In total, the 24 local alumni, including Frayt, Akru, Band Connect and Carefeed, have raised more than $22 million in follow-on funding.
“We love, love, love getting to run a GBeta program in Cincy,” Rowan Hume, Gener8tor and GBeta Cincinnati managing director, said in the release. “Stacking the cohort with local-only founders is a huge win…there’s a lot of under-the-radar activity in Cincy that often doesn’t get noticed.”
The accelerator, already underway, runs a total of seven weeks. The program supports five startups per cohort, requires no fees and takes no equity. Founders receive concierge coaching and access to Gener8tor's national network of mentors, customers, corporate partners and investors.
The GBeta Cincy fall 2023 cohort includes:
- 0.Engineering, led by co-founder and CEO Kiet Ho: 0.Engineering enables collaboration between front-end designers and back-end engineers. Using 0's Chrome extension or browser-wrapping interface, designers can create or change design elements that reflect code changes directly into a company's existing codebase, allowing designers to contribute and publish without engineering experience. Since Oct. 1, 0.Engineering has added more than 600 to its waitlist and is currently testing its version one with 13 beta users. Ho relocated to Cincinnati from Minneapolis earlier this year.
- Bailout Systems, led by founder and CEO Michael Ragsdale: Bailout Systems is developing a hands-free fall-safety device. Arborists, firefighters and military personnel and recreational climbers use Bailout's proprietary technology for a safer, more efficient and secure way to descend from heights, eliminating manual operation and reducing the risk of accidents. Bailout has secured three patents and a letter of intent with the largest arborist product manufacturer and retailer, Vertical Supply Group. The company in September received a Launch grant from Main Street Ventures.
- Common Kin, led by co-founder Mourad David: Common Kin elevates everyday objects for people living in small spaces. Its first patented product, Swivel, houses 10 cookware items within one square foot on your countertop. The brand’s launch focuses on disrupting the kitchen utility market, which will lead into a larger product line focused on designing space-saving products within the home. Common Kin has completed its first production cycle and is planning a six-figure crowdfunding campaign beginning in the first quarter of 2024. It has 500 consumers on its waitlist.
- Oopda, led by co-founder and CEO David Johnson: Oopda simplifies medical billing comprehension and payment processes for patients. Its dashboard includes payment records, plans and integrations, so patients are able to cut through the clutter of duplicate medical bills and errors while avoiding the cumbersome balance of multiple providers and portals. Oopda is currently working with 28 beta testers and is launching version one of its platform in the fourth quarter of 2023.
- PlaneKrafty, led by founder and CEO Nicole Dyehouse: PlaneKrafty is creating a platform for private jet aircraft maintenance records management. Aircraft owners, maintenance facilities, operators, mechanics and brokers struggle with maintenance record keeping, resulting in issues with regulatory compliance. With PlaneKrafty, physical documents are organized into a digital library, enabling clients to verify documentation compliance – improving safety, traceability and efficiency and reducing downtime between flights by more than 75%. PlaneKrafty holds a provisional patent on its application and currently is in development of its minimum viable product (MVP).
Nationally, GBeta is held in more than 20 other cities across the country, including Indianapolis, Houston and Denver, among others.
Since the program’s launch in 2015, GBeta accelerator alumni have raised more than $714 million in capital and created more than 4,200 jobs across the United States and Canada.
