Fourteen finalists from across the country are competing to be one of the eight startups selected as the winners of the 2022 Render Competition.
The annual program hosted by Render Capital awards $100,000 to each of the eight winning companies. A total of five Louisville-area startups are among the finalists this year, and two other Kentucky companies have made the cut, too.
As I have previously reported, the competition aims to make funding more accessible to early-stage startups in Greater Louisville while also attracting new entrepreneurs to the region.
On Sept. 22, Render Capital will host a pitch event at Lynn Family Stadium to conclude the final selection process and announce the winners. Final stage judges include Clint Kelly, Katie Blakeley, Elizabeth Rounsavall, Mario Mazzone and Patrick Henshaw. You can register for that free event here.
Get to know each of the finalists below:
- GiftStock – Bowling Green, Kentucky: Founded in 2022, GiftStock is an investing app focused on peer-to-peer gifts of stocks and crypto.
- TitleWise – Clarksville, Indiana: TitleWise, founded in 2018, offers a web-based tool for creating digital reports and databases specifically designed for real estate title abstractors.
- Smoove Creations – Highland Heights, Kentucky: Smoove Creations gives corporations the ability to create customizable footwear in minutes. It has generated more than $100,000 in lifetime revenue and currently has worked with 22 corporate clients.
- Metapyxl – Brooklyn, New York: Founded in 2019, Metapyxl is solving the missing security component, protecting digital media by encrypting digital assets with a secure proof of ownership, proactively locking in metadata surviving screen shots to stripping algorithms.
- LeadMeNot – Tulsa, Oklahoma: LeadMeNot, founded in 2021, is a digital wellness platform that leverages accountability, radical transparency and artificial intelligence to fight destructive digital habits.
- Melanated Healthcare – Louisville: Founded in 2020 by CEO Lecresha Sewell, Melanated Healthcare is a digital health platform that connects Black and people of color (BIPOC) to culturally congruent health professionals.
- FANLUV – Los Angeles: FANLUV, founded in 2020, is a blockchain based social network that enables its users to monetize their content and earn revenue through FANLUV token.
- Gamerabble – Tampa, Florida: Founded last year, Gamerabble is a first-of-its-kind, gamified e-sports coaching and training platform for gamers who want to improve in a fun, toxicity-free and inclusive space where they can learn from their peers while getting rewards that will make improving more enjoyable.
- Connect – Louisville: Connect, founded in 2020, serves hyper-focused digital ad placements, associating geographic locations to digital devices, driving company's marketing message to targeted individuals’ laptops, smartphones, tablets and desktops.
- Black UX Labs – Louisville: Founded by Amber Fields in 2020, Black UX Labs connects expert talent to companies looking to hire User Experience (UX) professionals through an unmatched marketplace of multicultural talent.
- Sensegrass – Fremont, California: Sensegrass, founded in 2020, is a soil intelligence platform for fertilizer management, using a combination of AI-based recommendations and soil sensors to deliver real-time soil health analyses and targeted nutrient management.
- Dremi – Redwood City, California: Dremi, founded last year, is breaking down barriers to mentorship through a scalable platform.
- PrepSharp – Louisville: Founded in 2019, PrepSharp is the first software-as-a-service solution on the market for test-prep professionals.
- Splitsy – St. Louis: Splitsy, founded in 2020, is a mobile app that allows users to automate the process of splitting recurring bills such as rent, utilities, streaming services and more without the need for peer-to-peer payments.
