At the start, there were more than 200 applicants from across the world.
In the end, standing inside the confines of Lynn Family Stadium on the evening of Sept. 21, there were eight winners of the fourth annual Render Competition.
Each recipient of the competition will receive an investment of $100,000 from Render Capital, a Louisville-based $30 million fund, as well as benefits and support valued at more than $1 million to help each business grow, according to a news release.
“People had told me that Kentucky wasn’t a great place to move to for innovation and growing my [venture capital] career. After last night, I disagree. We welcomed eight new companies to Render Capital and had investors from other states visiting to share their thesis and help us create an ecosystem in the Midwest,” said Triet Nguyen, senior associate at Render Capital, in the release.
Each applicant had to identify as being a “high-growth startup,” meaning it is looking to aggressively scale up before seeking an exit. The competition rules also state that any company with founders not living in the Louisville metro area must relocate their headquarters or founding team members to the to area.
“We are thrilled to continue to attract some of the best startups from around the country to the Greater Louisville area,” Render Capital Managing Director Patrick Henshaw said in the release. “Through the Render Capital Competition, we have now had over 30 winners and invested almost $3M and 14 of those companies relocated here to the region.”
As determined by a panel of more than 30 judges, the eight selectees featured names that are well known to the Kentuckiana entrepreneurial ecosystem and those who are new to the conversation.
Here is a rundown on the eight winners:
Affinna — An event ticketing and fan engagement platform that specializes in offering ticket booking and selling services for event organizers, creators and event hosts to build more meaningful relationships with their authenticated fans, enabling fans to book tickets at low, transparent fees. I first spoke with founder Dan Ross-Li, who moved his company from the Bay Area, for one of my first Inno profiles back in October 2022. The company advanced to the quarterfinals of our recent Inno Madness competition earlier this spring. It was named as one of the winners of the most recent Vogt Awards in August.
AuraSense — A telemedicine company that uses AI and unique digital touch technology to screen for neurological and cardiovascular disorders remotely, with the goal to transform brain health and make the highest quality of healthcare accessible for all people. Originally based in Chicago, the startup began in the summer of 2022, according to its website.
Besti Co. — Founded in April, the company offers “a synchronizable period care solution,” according to the release, with monthly subscription boxes, which are set to the user’s cycle, that contain organic feminine hygiene products, trial-size self care products and speciality snacks. Founder and CEO Amanda Miah is based out of Louisville, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Feedcoyote – A business network platform that combines an integrated management tool with the lead generation business network that fosters better collaboration and closed deals augmented with customer relationship management (CRM) capabilities to help entrepreneurs, freelancers, independent contractors and small-business owners manage their gigs, automate their work, share skills — ultimately allowing them to earn more. I first talked with Stevens Bonhomme for a profile back in December. Since then, Bonhomme and his team have had a noteworthy string of victories including being named to Techstars Atlanta, winning one of the Awesome Inc’s 5 Across Competition, Derby Diversity Week’s Ideathon, our Inno Madness competition in April, and the Vogt Awards in August.
Kyndly — An insurtech startup with a mission of making health insurance accessible to the general public. The company’s Kynd Choice product allows users the ability to enroll in health plans and have decision support services along the way. As we reported in September 2022, the company was started by two former Humana directors under the name of Arrow Health. Under that name, the company was a winner of the 2022 Vogt Awards and was named as one of 2023 Startups to Watch. In May, the company announced it would be changing its name to Kyndly Benefits, as we reported. The startup also was named as of the 15 companies that were awarded $100,000 in grant funding through the latest Reconstruct Challenge.
Seamly — A business-to-business (B2B) Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution that allows the fashion industry to have inclusive sizing as a way to increase sales, reduce returns and increase profits. It also cultivates shorter and easier product development, while expediting access to the new inclusive and digital fashion markets. The Paducah, Kentucky-based company was named one of our Startups to Watch in 2023, in addition to taking part in Launch Blue’s Pre-Seed Accelerator in the fall of 2022. The startup was originally based in Huntsville, Alabama, but relocated to Paducah in the 1ST50K program that was co-sponsored by Sprocket.
Soundspace — A SaaS platform to find and book premium recording, rehearsal and podcasting spaces with a monthly, flat-fee membership plan/network. The platform also can manage multiple aspects of recording studio operations. This includes booking, payments, inventory management, memberships and financials. The company began in Indianapolis.
Value Buddy — A business valuation software system that is targeted for small businesses and startups. Valuations are created today by leveraging AI to filter comparable company data, benchmark financial health, educate business owners on their financials, and synthesize strategic guidance. I first met Ace McGill, the Louisville-based founder and CEO at the finals of the Derby Diversity Week in October 2022, a contest that was eventually won by KidVestors, one of our 2023 Startups to Watch.
