The fifth class of the Bronze Valley Accelerator is underway with the recent announcement of the five startups selected to take part in the spring 2022 program. The companies were recruited from across the United States and represent a wide variety of industries and verticals.
The Bronze Valley Accelerator was launched in 2020 as a partnership of Bronze Valley and nationally ranked startup accelerator gener8tor. In keeping with the mission of Bronze Valley, the accelerator program focuses on supporting women entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs of color, using gener8tor’s gBETA model. To date, not including the spring 2022 class, 15 companies have completed the Bronze Valley program.
“The teams we have worked with, to date, have exceeded expectations,” said Haley Medved Kendrick, director of the Bronze Valley Accelerator. “Collectively, the companies have created over 40 jobs and raised approximately $4.5 million in capital following the accelerator. The new class has a high bar to meet, but they are well-positioned to meet and surpass the goals we set together.”
More than 70 startups applied for the five spots in the spring 2022 accelerator program, which kicked off on March 10 and is being held virtually. The participating startups will work with the gener8tor and Bronze Valley teams over the course of seven weeks to meet mentors, gain customer traction and pitch to prospective investors.
The startups in the spring 2022 Bronze Valley Accelerator are:
Green Regimen, which produces plant-based, organic supplements for optimal health and fitness. Green Regimen specializes in sourcing the highest-quality ingredients to create organic meal replacements and post-workout protein shakes. A top-selling product in a luxury grocer in California, Green Regimen has been voted No. 1 plant-based protein by Men’s Health magazine and featured on CNN, CBS News and Great Day Washington. Since launching e-commerce sales in 2018, Green Regimen has generated more than $560,000 in revenue.
Hx Innovations, which uses human movement science to provide data-driven insights and predictive analytics for sports teams to monitor fatigue, select proper endurance footwear and safeguard against foot and ankle injury. Hx Innovations uses data insights to empower forward-thinking organizations with solutions to optimize movement, safety and wellness. The company has completed pilot studies with the Miami Heat, the New England Patriots, Delaware State University, the University of Tennessee, the University of Miami and St. Vincent St. Mary High School.
Pose Button, which improves the e-commerce shopping experience using a digital personal shopper. Pose Button tackles the challenge of finding online clothing that fits the consumer’s style, size and budget by using extended reality and artificial intelligence tools to improve the user’s customer service experience. The company conducted a pilot with 75 test users, achieving a 70% click-through rate on recommendations provided, and has acquired 450 waitlist users for its beta product, which will launch during spring 2022.
Monocle, which creates a social reading experience through real-time, shared perspectives without requiring the reader to put the book down. Readers can seamlessly connect with one another through Monocle’s iOS and Android app, which allows readers to share their annotations and discuss with friends, classmates or another reader within the e-book itself. To create a more personalized experience for readers, Monocle has established a partnership with the University of California Irvine’s School of Information and Computer Science to develop an AI-powered content recommendation model. Monocle has acquired more than 2,000 readers for the waitlist for its beta release, expected in spring 2022.
UnDelay reduces flight delays by analyzing radio conversations at airports that describe the cause of flight disruptions. UnDelay determines if a flight is having problems with departing, taxiing, pushback and overall communication. The company’s proprietary technology simultaneously converts hundreds of radio conversations into text, utilizing AI and advanced technology to improve efficiency. UnDelay has raised $100,000 to date and is piloting its product with two large aviation entities.
“We could not be more pleased with this cohort of the Bronze Valley Accelerator,” said Neill S. Wright, Bronze Valley president and CEO. “We remain steadfastly committed to delivering on our impact service platform to startup founders. The companies in this cohort are working hard to solve meaningful problems and challenges, and we are humbled by the opportunity to add value in the process.”
A program of gener8tor, gBETA is a free, seven-week accelerator that works with five startups at a time for no fees and no equity. Each cohort is kept small to ensure meaningful engagement with the gener8tor team, network and other resources. Participants receive intensive and individualized coaching and access to gener8tor’s national network of mentors, customers, corporate partners and investors.
The Bronze Valley Accelerator is supported by Bronze Valley, Alabama Power and the Alabama Department of Commerce. Held three times per year, the program is designed to ensure a high level of individualized attention in working with companies across all industries and business models.
“The Bronze Valley Accelerator, working in collaboration with gener8tor, continues to inject vitality into Alabama’s innovation economy through its support of entrepreneurship,” said Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. “The assistance received by these founders will help them steer their startups more confidently toward a brighter, more successful future.”
gener8tor’s turnkey platform for the creative economy connects startup founders, investors, corporations, universities, job seekers, musicians and artists. The gener8tor platform includes accelerators, upskilling, corporate programming and conferences, with content on community growth, impact investing, diversity, equity and inclusion, and innovation across education, agriculture, insurance, healthcare and more. Recently, gener8tor was named one of Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators.
Bronze Valley is a nonprofit, early-stage venture investment platform that supports high-growth, innovation and technology-enabled companies created by diverse, underrepresented and underestimated founders. The mission of Bronze Valley is to provide an education-to-opportunity-to-outcome pipeline for communities that are underrepresented in technology careers and in fields where innovators will shape the future.
(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)
