superuser, Author at Startup South Bend

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26 Jan 2021 entrepreneurs&news&startups&talent

Startup South Bend – Elkhart Pre-Accelerator Cohort Two Graduate, Anthony Esplin of Sleep Easy

Cohort Two Graduate: Anthony Esplin, Founder
Company: Sleep Easy
Contact Sleep Easy: Via Email

Describe your company: Anthony Esplin is a 2020-2021 graduate of the University of Notre Dame’s ESTEEM Graduate Program and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical/Medical Engineering from the University of Utah.

“Out of school, I worked for GE Healthcare as a Scientist”, Anthony explained. “It just so happened that I had a neighbor whose son had down-syndrome as well as acute sleep apnea. The boy’s pulmonologist had prescribed wearing a nasal cannula in order to get sufficient sleep through the night. By this time, he was five. He and his poor parents went through years of restless nights from the young boy not getting sufficient oxygen. Over the next weeks we prototyped a pillow that allowed him to receive his oxygen therapy without him being aware that oxygen was flowing to his face while he slept. We were able to gather some pulse oximetry data as well as the number of ODI events- or the number of times that his oxygen saturation dropped more than 4% during the night. We saw that with oxygen flowing through the pillow, the number of times his blood oxygen concentration dropped went from 5 per hour to 0. The average concentration also raised 4%. Thus, Sleep Easy was born. The ESTEEM program attracted me to the South Bend – Elkhart region to further develop the oxygen pillow in order to give others a good night’s rest.”

What have you learned from the Pre-Accelerator Program? “One of the many things I learned from the Startup South Bend – Elkhart Pre-Accelerator was all the resources that are available to those starting a business in this area. We have been looking at what it would take to file an NIH grant proposal. It was nice that the accelerator had seminars regarding our business needs and could connect us to people that pointed us in the right direction. In entrepreneurship, it can feel like you are all on your own. It is nice to have a support group to fall back on.”

“Another thing that I have learned from mentors is how to capture the voice of the customer. It comes from prototyping and creating a feedback loops so that you can be iterative with the product or service in order to bring something to market that customers are willing to pay.”

18 Jan 2021 entrepreneurs&news&startups&talent

Startup South Bend – Elkhart Pre-Accelerator Cohort Two Graduate, Connor Keaveney of ArrowWay

Cohort Two Graduate: Connor Keaveney, Product Manager
Company: ArrowWay LLC
Contact ArrowWay LLC: Via Email

Describe your company: With the lack of knowledge around properly wrapping your ankle to reduce swelling and reduce healing time, ArrowWay offers the first and only instructional bandages that ensure you wrap your appendage like a professional in order to recover the quickest from a swollen appendage.

What have you learned from the Pre-Accelerator Program? “With a background in chemical engineering, the Pre-Accelerator Program was extremely informative and valuable to me. I learned about the importance of market sizing and how to do it, especially when considering target markets. I learned numerous startup jargon that was helpful for me to understand the industry well. I also learned how to put together a well-refined pitch deck, which will lead to many great strides for ArrowWay going forward.”

13 Jan 2021 entrepreneurs&inspiration&news&startups&talent

U.S. Office of Navy Research Awards SIMBA Chain a $1.5 Million SBIR Phase II Contract

SIMBA Chain to Develop Blockchain-based Solution to Enable Supply Chain Demand Sensing for Critical Military Weaponry Parts

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (January 13, 2021) – – The U.S. Office of Navy Research has awarded a $1.5 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract (N68335-21-C-0178) to SIMBA Chain to design and build a blockchain solution to enable demand sensing for the Defense Logistics Agency, the combat support and supply chain agency of the United States Department of Defense. Demand sensing is essential to ensuring the U.S. military has critical replacement parts for various weaponry available when required.

The award follows an SBIR Phase I project awarded in June 2020 during which SIMBA Chain worked with the U.S. Marine Corp to define a use case for a blockchain-based prototype to monitor the inventory and movement of physical assets at its Albany, Georgia Depot. This effort resulted in a proof of concept for a single source of truth ledger to support monitoring the inventory and movement of physical assets.

SIMBA Chain’s new contract, the ALAMEDA Project—short for Authenticity Ledger for Auditable Military Enclaved Data Access, commenced January 6th, 2021. During this time, SIMBA Chain will further build out the prototype developed in Phase I, working in tandem with the Naval Enterprise Sustainment Technology Team (NESTT) on a use case centered on the Boeing F/A-18 Hornet supply chain. The project will be conducted at the Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE) at the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida, one of eight fleet readiness centers commissioned by the U.S. Navy and one of just three that perform maintenance on the F/A-18 Hornet.

SIMBA Chain CEO Joel Neidig, who will serve as principal investigators on the project, says the Phase II award further demonstrates the power of the collaboration with the U.S. Navy. “We are very honored to work with NESTT and the FRCSE on one of the most pressing issues facing the nation today, managing and securing military supply chains and ensuring readiness to thwart cyber and physical threats. Blockchain is well suited to solve complex supply chain pain points as it enables a decentralized mechanism for the recording of non-repudiable transactions, making data both immutable and auditable, and lastly, tamper proof once written.”

Neidig adds, “Our goal with this pilot program is to use blockchain to dramatically improve vital supply chain interactions between FRCSE and the Defense Logistics Agency to mitigate against disruption, issues, and threats to engineering and maintenance operations. Our hope is it becomes a model across the Navy and other branches of the U.S. military.”

Steve McKee, NAVSEA program manager and lead for the NESTT, says the mission of the NESTT is to align system improvements across the Navy and Marine Corps that improve readiness. “In 2020, the Department of the Navy’s SBIR Program allocated over $30 million to help the advance innovations to improve readiness. This blockchain project with SIMBA Chain exemplifies the role of technology in revitalizing not just our military facilities, but our systems as well. Pilot projects like this one with the Fleet Readiness Center in Jacksonville drive both innovation, and ultimately positive outcomes,” he said.

Joining SIMBA Chain in the ALAMEDA Project as a subcontractor is the University of Notre Dame. SIMBA Chain’s chief technology officer, Ian Taylor, a member of Notre Dame’s computing research faculty, will serve as the University’s principal investigator on the project. Taylor is widely recognized as a global thought leader in block chain.

Over the last two years, SIMBA Chain has been awarded and successfully completed multiple contracts with DARPA, the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Department of Defense.

About SIMBA Chain, Inc.
SIMBA Chain’s cloud-based enterprise platform enables academia, industry, and governments to quickly develop and deploy Web 3.0 distributed applications (dApps) across many blockchain platforms. SIMBA Chain was born in 2017 through a DARPA grant awarded to the University of Notre Dame and ITAMCO. SIMBA Chain is the recipient of TechPoint’s 2019 Mira Award for New Product of the Year and 1st Source Bank’s 2019 Commercialization Award. The SIMBA Chain platform supports Ethereum, Quorum, Binance Smart Chain, RSK, Stellar, Hyperledger, and other blockchain protocols. Learn more.

12 Jan 2021 entrepreneurs&news&startups&talent

Startup South Bend – Elkhart Pre-Accelerator Cohort Two Graduate, Jude Chagas Pereira of Wizly Corporation

Cohort Two Graduate: Jude Chagas Pereira, CEO
Company: Wizly Corporation
Website: wizly.io
Contact Wizly Corporation: Via Email

Describe your company: Wizly enables Management Decisions through Better Reporting.

It is an integrated suite consisting of four modules with contextual analytics available at relevant points across the reporting process that enables timely decisions.

We empower organizational management teams to effectively manage their day-to-day decision support processes with powerful insights into their business. The solution can be deployed to address multiple use cases providing faster return on investment for customers.

What have you learned from the Pre-Accelerator Program? “The key learning point from the Pre-Accelerator Program is the process of preparing a pitch document for potential investors.”

06 Jan 2021 entrepreneurs&news&startups&talent

Startup South Bend – Elkhart Pre-Accelerator Cohort Two Graduate, Nicholas Lampson of Agape Health

Cohort Two Graduate: Nicholas Lampson, Founder
Company: Agape Health
Contact Agape Health: Via Email

Describe your company: Agape Health is a venture focused on helping the elderly and terminally ill go to the bathroom. Patient and caregiver falls and injuries are dangerous, painful, and expensive. Most injurious falls occur when the patient is moving between the bed and the bedside commode or bathroom. To quantify, each year there are approximately 29 million falls by seniors over the age of 65. Each year it costs upwards of $30 billion dollars (2013 est.) to treat the injuries caused by these falls.

To tie this back to what we are trying to solve, approximately 80% of falls in the home occur in the bathroom. That is the problem through the lens of insurance providers. For caregivers and patients, current bedside commodes require a high amount of balance and exertion each time the patient needs to go to the restroom, which makes each toileting instance a risk for injury and fall. Serious injuries pose a threat to the well-being and lifespan of the patient.

What excites me most about this project is that it brings to light an uncomfortable issue that has been largely ignored in healthcare innovation. The timing of this project is urgent as trends indicate a projected increase in caregiver burden over the next 30 years due to the aging population and a clear movement towards home health care in light of COVID-19.

What have you learned from the Pre-Accelerator Program? “I learned how to accurately calculate market size, identify tangible next steps for the business, and deliver a better pitch.”

22 Dec 2020 entrepreneurs&event&inspiration&news&startups

Startup South Bend – Elkhart Celebrates Pre-Accelerator Graduates

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (Dec. 22, 2020) — Last week, Startup South Bend – Elkhart, an initiative of the South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership (Regional Partnership), concluded its second pre-accelerator program. Graduating eight participating companies, Startup South Bend – Elkhart’s Pre-Accelerator program is designed to help early-stage entrepreneurs validate (or invalidate) their ideas while adding to the entrepreneurial ecosystem and providing participants guidance on sound business practices.

Cohort Two Pre-Accelerator Program Graduates

Nich Lampson, Agape Health
Aaron McGuin and Connor Keaveney, ArrowWay
Kevin Patel, Calm TeleHealth
Leslie Pinson, Local Spirit
Kurt Meyer, Medata
Kelley Rich and Lisa Vetne, Purple Nation
Milagros Ramirez and Anthony Esplin, Sleep Easy
Jude Chagas Pereira and Gil Laware, Wizly

“This Pre-Accelerator program allows early-stage entrepreneurs to connect with peers and mentors in our region’s startup community. Every participant has the opportunity to learn together, see the struggles that startups are facing, and help to work through them, which is extremely valuable,” said Startup South Bend – Elkhart Pre-Accelerator Facilitator and enFocus Program Director of Operations, Patrick Jones. “It’s about building up the entrepreneurial ecosystem, everyone working together.”

This virtual 10-week cohort-based program connects entrepreneurs with mentors and subject matter experts. Each week, participants gathered virtually for group educational workshops and mentoring sessions. The one-on-one sessions allowed participants the time to work through individual business challenges with their mentor, while the group mentoring sessions were dedicated to pitch development and feedback. After completing this program, participants are now able to talk about their idea clearly and concisely to investors. Participants are also eligible for up to $2,000 of Proof-of-Concept grant funds to advance their products.

“The Startup South Bend – Elkhart Pre-Accelerator program allows early-stage entrepreneurs to take their startup idea from a concept to a viable business opportunity,” said South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership President and CEO, Regina Emberton. “The goal of this program is to not only prepare high-growth startups for a formal accelerator program or an initial investment round, but to also increase our regional entrepreneurial ecosystem, connecting entrepreneurs to each other and to mentors.”

The Startup South Bend – Elkhart Pre-Accelerator program will be offered in partnership with Elevate Ventures three times during 2021. Elevate Origins will provide virtual group learning, one-on-one coaching and live pitch practice to startups at no cost to the entrepreneurs. Applications are open through January 31, 2020 for the Spring cohort and participants can choose from the Pre-Seed or Seed stage tracks to develop investor-ready pitch decks, executive summaries, and end up prepared to compete for investment funding. Startup South Bend – Elkhart will continue to offer up to $2,000 Proof of Concept grants and mentorship opportunities to Elevate Origin participants who are ready to move their idea through prototyping or market validation.

Startup South Bend – Elkhart is helping early-stage entrepreneurs take an idea and evolve it into an investment-ready business pitch. Many startups begin with what they believe is a good idea. However, they can quickly run into business obstacles that stall their progress or set them up for future problems. Through this cohort-based programming and individualized mentoring, entrepreneurs are given the tools and the connections needed to take the next step in their startup journey.

Beginning January 6, 2021, we will post a featured graduate story every Wednesday at 9:00AM. Follow our Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter accounts to learn more about each of our amazing graduates and their startups.

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About Startup South Bend – Elkhart
The mission of Startup South Bend – Elkhart, a non-profit initiative of the South Bend Elkhart Regional Partnership is to promote and foster the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the South Bend – Elkhart region. Startup South Bend – Elkhart works to stimulate the entrepreneurial spirit and culture in the regional community, identify and nurture new business startups, and support the growth of existing high potential businesses. For more information about Startup South Bend – Elkhart, visit StartupSouthBendElkhart.com.

About South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership
The South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership is a collaboration of the economic development partners from 47 smart connected communities in northern Indiana and southwest Michigan. The Regional Partnership focuses on a long-term systemic approach to advance the region’s economy by aligning the efforts of various stakeholders around five key areas: Educating a world-class WORKFORCE, Recruiting and retaining great TALENT, Attracting and growing new economy companies in complement to our remarkably strong manufacturing INDUSTRIES, Promoting INCLUSION and sparking opportunities for minorities and Helping ENTREPRENEURS thrive. The Regional Partnership seeks to unify and collaborate so that together, the communities across the region to work together to achieve what cannot be done individually. For more information about the Regional Partnership, visit SouthBendElkhart.org.

Media Contact
Regina Emberton
South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership
remberton@southbendelkhart.org
574.344.4686

09 Sep 2020 entrepreneurs&event&news&startups&talent

Startup South Bend – Elkhart Launches Cohort 2 of Pre-Accelerator Program

SOUTH BEND – ELKHART REGION, Ind. (Sept. 9, 2020) — Startup South Bend – Elkhart (Startup SBE), an initiative of the South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership (Regional Partnership) is now accepting applications for Cohort 2 of its virtual Pre-Accelerator program taking place this fall.

Pre-accelerator programs allow early-stage entrepreneurs to take their startup idea from a concept to a viable business opportunity. The goal of Startup SBE’s Pre-Accelerator is to prepare innovation-led startups for a formal accelerator program or an initial investment round. Through cohort-based programming and individualized mentoring, Startup SBE gives entrepreneurs the tools and the connections needed to take the next step in their startup journey.

The virtual 10-week program connects entrepreneurs with mentors and subject matter experts through a cohort-based model. Each week entrepreneurs attend a group educational workshop or an individualized 1:1 mentor session to make progress on their startup.

How do I know if the Pre-Accelerator program is right for me?

I’m located in St. Joseph, Elkhart, Marshall counties in Indiana or I’m willing to launch my company there.
I have raised less than $50,000 in funding/revenue to date.
My idea addresses a national or global market (i.e., tech enabled or disruptive technology).
At least one founding member can commit six hours per week for ten weeks.

What are the benefits of applying?

The program is no charge, and no equity is taken.
Complete a startup pitch deck and an executive summary.
Have access to up to $2,000 in early-stage funding for prototyping and validation activities.
Be introduced to mentors, coaches, and potential investors.
Sometimes ideas fizzle out. Here you’ll have opportunities to connect with other entrepreneurs who possibly become new co-founding team members.

After the Pre-Accelerator Program, Startup South Bend – Elkhart will help you identify next steps, including:

Participating in the University of Notre Dame’s IDEA Center commercialization engine.
Introductions and referrals to investors.
Invitations to demo days and/or special pitch events.
Continued assistance from mentors.

Important dates to keep in mind:

September 8 – September 30, 2020: Accepting Applications for Cohort 2
October 7 – December 2, 2020: Group workshops/sessions take place each Wednesday evening from 5-7pm.
December 15, 2020: Graduation and Pitch Event

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About South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership
The South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership is a collaboration of the economic development partners from 47 smart connected communities in Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan. The Regional Partnership focuses on a long-term systemic approach to advance the region’s economy by aligning the efforts of various stakeholders around five key areas: Educating a world-class WORKFORCE, Recruiting and retaining great TALENT, Attracting and growing new economy companies in complement to our remarkably strong manufacturing INDUSTRIES, Promoting INCLUSION and sparking opportunities for minorities and Helping ENTREPRENEURS thrive. The Regional Partnership seeks to unify and collaborate so that together, the communities across the region to work together to achieve what cannot be done individually. For more information about the Regional Partnership, visit SouthBendElkhart.org.

Program Contact
Patrick Jones
Startup South Bend – Elkhart
startup@southbendelkhart.org
(317) 319-4647

27 Aug 2020 entrepreneurs&news&startups&talent

South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership Awarded Elevate Nexus Grant for Supporting Startups

SOUTH BEND – ELKHART REGION (Aug. 26, 2020) — Yesterday, the South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership (Regional Partnership), the University of Notre Dame, and 17 other organizations across Indiana were awarded a total of $164,000 in grants from Elevate Nexus. These funds are earmarked towards entrepreneurship programming to help build on existing successes.

Elevate Nexus, an initiative of Elevate Ventures that launched in 2019, partners with higher-education institutions and nonprofit organizations to organize pitch competitions in which entrepreneurs compete for startup funding. The grants to supporting organizations represent 10% of the total $1,640,000 in startup investment achieved through the organizations’ efforts.

Nominated by regional startup Viewtique as an impactful organization, the Regional Partnership will use this grant to support the work of Startup South Bend – Elkhart (Startup SBE), an initiative of the Regional Partnership. Established in 2016, with a mission to promote and foster the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the South Bend – Elkhart region, Startup SBE works to stimulate the entrepreneurial spirit and culture in the regional community, identify and nurture new business startups, and support the growth of existing innovation-led businesses.

“The South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership is honored to be the recipient of this grant but even more grateful to be viewed as an impactful organization by a successful regional startup like Viewtique,” said South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership President and CEO, Regina Emberton. “The support and collaboration of organizations like Elevate Ventures enables us to continue working towards our goal of launching 200 innovation-led startups by 2025.”

Earlier this year, five Startup SBE affiliated companies; Digital Leader Academy, Lumen Bio LLC, ProstheTech, Viewtique, and CODEinCLASS were awarded a total of $160,000 in pre-seed and seed funding by Elevate Ventures during the Elevate Nexus Regional Pitch Competitions. In May, the five companies and 24 additional finalists competed in the inaugural Elevate Nexus Statewide Pitch Competition where Lumen Bio LLC received an additional $40,000 in pre-seed investment.

Last month, the South Bend – Elkhart region was also named the Elevate Ventures “Region of the Year” for the second year in a row, an award which recognizes the region with the highest number of Elevate Ventures deals (21 Fund and Indiana Angel Network Fund only) per capita from January 1 to December 31, 2019.

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About South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership
The South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership is a collaboration of the economic development partners from 47 smart connected communities in Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan. The Regional Partnership focuses on a long-term systemic approach to advance the region’s economy by aligning the efforts of various stakeholders around five key areas: Educating a world-class WORKFORCE, Recruiting and retaining great TALENT, Attracting and growing new economy companies in complement to our remarkably strong manufacturing INDUSTRIES, Promoting INCLUSION and sparking opportunities for minorities and Helping ENTREPRENEURS thrive. The Regional Partnership seeks to unify and collaborate so that together, the communities across the region to work together to achieve what cannot be done individually. For more information about the Regional Partnership, visit SouthBendElkhart.org.

Media Contact
Regina Emberton
South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership
remberton@southbendelkhart.org
574.344.4686

26 Aug 2020 entrepreneurs&news&startups&talent

Indiana Organizations Awarded Grants for Supporting Startups

INDIANAPOLIS (August 25, 2020) — Nineteen organizations across Indiana have been awarded a total of $164,000 in grants from Elevate Nexus. These funds are earmarked toward entrepreneurship programming to help build on existing successes.

Elevate Nexus, an initiative of Elevate Ventures launched in July 2019, partners with higher-education institutions and nonprofit organizations to organize pitch competitions in which entrepreneurs compete for startup funding. The grants represent 10% of the total $1,640,000 in startup investment achieved through the organizations’ efforts.

One of the 19 recipients was Purdue University Northwest which will use the grant to support its Commercialization and Manufacturing Excellence Center.

“We have a lot of innovative people here in Northwest Indiana who may not be as well-funded as those in other parts of the state, which is not due to a lack of innovation, but a lack of resources,” said Mont Handley, entrepreneur-in-residence and associate director of the Commercialization and Manufacturing Excellence Center at Purdue University Northwest. “This grant will allow us to better provide new and aspiring entrepreneurs with a wealth of support and guidance as we bring new innovation to the region.”

The recipients include:

1804, Inc., New Albany
AgriNovus Indiana, Indianapolis
Dimension Mill, Inc., Bloomington
Flagship Enterprise Center Inc. (d/b/a Bankable), Anderson
Grace Schools, Winona Lake
Indiana University, Bloomington
Ivy Tech Community College of Bloomington, Bloomington
South Bend Elkhart – Regional Partnership
Orr Fellowship, Indianapolis
Purdue University, West Lafayette
Purdue University Northwest, Hammond
Purdue@Westgate, Odon
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute
SERVICE CORPS of Retired Executives (SCORE), Warsaw
Taylor University, Upland
Trine University, Inc., Angola
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis
University of Notre Dame, South Bend
University of Southern Indiana, Evansville

Elevate Nexus hosts seven pitch competitions annually, including six regional and one statewide, with a total of $1,640,000 in investments awarded to startups. The grant recipients are identified by the startup during the application process.

Elevate Nexus is funded by a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration and the 21st Century Research and Technology Fund (21 Fund). The 21 Fund, which promotes economic growth and innovation-driven public-private partnerships in Indiana, is overseen by the Indiana Economic Development Corp. and managed by Elevate Ventures.

About Elevate Ventures
Elevate Ventures is a private venture development organization that nurtures and develops emerging and existing high-growth businesses into high-performing, Indiana-based companies. Elevate Ventures accomplishes this by providing access to capital, rigorous business analysis and robust advisory services that connect companies with the right mix of resources businesses need to succeed long term. To learn more about Elevate Ventures, visit elevateventures.com.

19 Aug 2020 entrepreneurs&news&startups&talent

Startup South Bend – Elkhart Celebrates First Class of Pre-Accelerator Graduates

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (Aug. 19, 2020) — Yesterday, Startup South Bend – Elkhart, an initiative of the South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership (Regional Partnership), concluded its inaugural pre-accelerator program. Graduating six participants, Startup South Bend – Elkhart’s Pre-Accelerator Program is designed to help early-stage entrepreneurs validate (or invalidate) their ideas while adding to the entrepreneurial ecosystem and providing participants guidance on sound business practices.

“This Pre-Accelerator is a structured program and uses a cohort model, every participant has the opportunity to learn together, see the struggles that startups are facing, and help to work through them, which is extremely valuable,” said Startup South Bend – Elkhart Pre-Accelerator Facilitator and enFocus Program Director of Operations, Patrick Jones. “It’s about building up the entrepreneurial ecosystem, everyone working together.”

“The Startup South Bend – Elkhart Pre-Accelerator program allows early stage entrepreneurs to take their startup idea from a concept to a viable business opportunity,” said South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership President and CEO, Regina Emberton. “Our goal and the goal of this program is to not only prepare innovation-led startups for a formal accelerator program or an initial investment round, but to also increase our regional entrepreneurial ecosystem, to connect entrepreneurs to each and to mentors.”

For more information about the six entrepreneurs and their startups, click here!