Render Capital outlines 2021 investments

Render Capital had an active 2021 with eight equity investments and eight other startups funded through its second annual competition.

The Louisville-based investment firm, which launched with a $15 million fund in early 2020, named the companies it invested in last year in a year-in-review report this week. Render Capital invested just over $2 million into local startups in total.

"Because of our amazing community of founders, startups, program partners, and co-investors, it truly was a year to remember," said Patrick Henshaw, managing director of Render Capital, in the report. "We started Render Capital because we wanted to play an active role in unlocking more capital for our region’s entrepreneurs. Increasing access to capital has been the mission of Render Capital from the beginning and that will not change."

Render Capital's eight equity investments included: GoWild, Vsimple, Forecastr, MobileServe, Kare Mobile, Resonate Recordings, Switcher Studio and Lenderfit. As I previously reported, the eight companies that won $100,000 each through Render Competition were Moolathon, Veeper, DiningTek, Repaytient, Legal Gantt, Xena Intelligence, Innovative Therapeutics and Symba.

In addition to those investments, Render Capital started a new initiative in 2021 called the "First Dollar Program," which aims to give grants to underserved and underrepresented entrepreneurs. It partnered with four local entrepreneurial support organizations to offer $5,000 grants to 20 local entrepreneurs.

Render Capital's Growth Loan Fund provided $118,000 in character-based micro-loans to five Black-owned small businesses including: Mann's Delivery, Melt 502, Wichin Pizza, Therapy Hero and Health Careers Training Institute.

My colleagues at Louisville Business First and I have written about several of these companies. I've linked a handful of stories below if you'd like to get to know them more.