A Madison startup that ships meals from ethnic restaurants using a subscription box model was among six companies that recently received a $10,000 grant through the MKE Tech Hub Coalition's FOR-M startup incubator program.
The startup, called Nommli, was founded this year by Padmini Chintakayala — an immigrant and a mother of two young kids. Nommli partners with restaurants to deliver meals from cuisines, including Indian, Japanese and African.
Aiming to help foster connection with different cultures through food, the startup also provides materials to help customers learn about the cultures behind each meal.
The FOR-M program is a free Milwaukee-based incubator for emerging startups, and alumni of the program are eligible to apply for grants.
More than 200 primarily Wisconsin entrepreneurs have participated in the program since it started in 2019. Of those, 36 have received grants, totaling $360,000 awarded, MKE Tech Hub Coalition CEO Kathy Henrich said.
Other fall 2023 FOR-M grant winners
These startups also each recently won a $10,000 grant.
- The Little Colony: A Chicago-based children's clothing rental service founded by Katie McKillip-Von Feldt and Nicole Zabel.
- Spark: A Milwaukee startup building an artificial intelligence-powered "incubator-as-a-service" product for entrepreneurs. It's led by Glenn Barres Jr., known as Wish Born.
- StayThanks: A travel rewards app that encourages travelers to visit locally-owned businesses. It was founded in Milwaukee by Naveen Kankate.
- Cooper’s Original: A Sheboygan-based company that makes tick-repellant wipes for pets. The co-founders are Autumn Farrell and Greg Farrell.
- Life Line Systems: A membership-based delivery and ride-hailing app platform founded in Milwaukee by Chanto Chanthavong.
Nommli is also among five startups participating in the current cohort of gBETA Beloit, a free startup accelerator program out of Beloit's Irontek coworking space. The five startups will pitch their companies at the gBETA Beloit showcase event at Irontek on Dec. 13.
