GBeta Cincy, an equity-free accelerator program for early-stage startups, announced its summer 2021 cohort, and the class includes five companies that range from a custom sneaker company to software-as-a-service provider for commercial real estate investors.
The class was selected from a pool of 50 applicants, and the cohort represents gBeta’s fourth program offered in Cincinnati since its launch in the market in 2018. Nationally, gBeta, a program offered by nationally ranked Wisconsin-based startup accelerator gener8tor, is found in nearly 20 other cities, including Cleveland, Detroit and Houston.
During the seven-week program, participants receive intensive, individualized coaching and access to gener8tor’s national network of mentors, customers, corporate partners and investors. The program is designed to help startups gain early customer traction and establish metrics that can make them competitive applicants for fulltime, equity-based accelerators or seed investment.
gBeta Cincy’s Summer 2021 cohort kicked off on May 6. The program will conclude with a pitch night July 6. The virtual event is open the public.
“It’s an exciting time to be part of Cincinnati’s startup ecosystem,” Jeff Boeh, director of gBeta Cincy, said in a release. “We have seen substantial growth in the number of startups launching here over the past year, and the quality of applicants for this cohort was very impressive.”
The startups include:
- Band Connect: Band Connect’s care-delivery platform increases patient adherence by extending in-clinic musculoskeletal rehabilitation into their home. Physical therapists leverage Band Connect’s hardware-enabled software solution to prescribe their patient’s personalized treatment and evaluate the patient’s progress remotely. Band Connect visually instructs patients on how to do their prescribed exercises and how to correct their form when needed. Band Connect is initiating two IRB-approved clinical trials with its first two commercial health system partners in the third quarter of 2021.
- Nector: Nector simplifies debt management for commercial real estate investors. Using Nector’s cloud-based platform, investors can reduce the lending process from months to minutes and collaborate with the entire deal team in real-time. Nector is currently beta-testing with three pilot customers and launching publicly in June.
- Perceive Now: Perceive Now automates the R&D scouting process saving tech scouts and product innovators time and money. Scouting teams input R&D keywords and get competitive landscape, funding analysis, academic R&D trends and unlimited access to experts using industry-centric AI. Perceive Now currently has 36 users on its waiting list ranging from consumer to biotech companies for a pilot program launch in August.
- Smoove Creations: Smoove Creations gives individuals and corporations the ability to create completely customizable footwear. Using Smoove Creations 3-D design studio, customers select their desired shoe, upload custom artwork, create color schemes and add custom text. Smoove Creations currently has eight corporate clients including St. Elizabeth Healthcare and CITIG.
- Tracks Technology: Tracks Technology provides behavioral tracking systems for animal care facilities and research institutions. Tracks Technology’s hardware, software and data infrastructure streamlines data-driven business decisions that support animal welfare, improve research productivity and enhance visitor experience. Tracks Technology has six customers, which include the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden and the SPCA.
Locally, gBeta alumni include Confab, Akru (formerly Tokenism), Hey Herbie, as well as Acumen and Carefeed, two 2021 Cincy Inno “Startups to Watch.”
The gBeta Cincy program is held once a year. More information on the program is available here. Since launching in 2015, gBeta program alumni have raised more than $180 million in capital and created 1,900-plus jobs across the U.S. and Canada.
