Bronze Valley Investment Accelerator Invests $500K into Five Startups
BIRMINGHAM, AL - Five fast-growing startup companies from across the country have been selected to receive a $100,000 investment and participate in the Bronze Valley Investment Accelerator program, powered by gener8tor, which launched on September 4, 2024.
The selected startups are Chicago-based pet-safe home products company Companion Candles; Nashville-based healthcare workforce marketplace EmpoweRx Inc.; Boise-based cross-border payments company Pay4Me; Hoover-based fintech company Pye; and New York-based work management platform for creatives Roam Creative. Each company has moved to Birmingham to participate in the program in person.
The investment accelerator, a component of the Bronze Valley VentureLab, is a partnership between venture capital platforms Bronze Valley and gener8tor that supports high-growth, innovative, technology-enabled companies founded by diverse, female and underrepresented founders. This 12-week cohort program offers 1:1 coaching, mentorship, over $1 million in deals, and access to more than 100 connections in the gener8tor network. The VentureLab also provides programs like HBCU entrepreneurship and pre-accelerator initiatives, both powered by gener8tor, in addition to ongoing portfolio support through led by Bronze Valley. The program received nearly 400 applications from across the country to participate in the Fall cohort. The five selected companies were chosen based on their growth potential and investor readiness.
"It's an honor to work alongside these five remarkable companies as they scale their businesses,” said Allison Swagler, gener8tor’s Bronze Valley Investment Accelerator managing director. “This program goes beyond mentorship; it fosters deep connections between these founders and Birmingham's vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem. I’m eager to see the meaningful partnerships that will emerge here in Alabama."
This accelerator program is made possible by a partnership with Bronze Valley, and with support from Innovate Alabama, Alabama Power, BlueCross BlueShield of Alabama, First Horizon, Pinnacle, Regions and Spire.
"Bronze Valley is pleased to bring these dynamic companies to Birmingham, furthering our mission to advance innovation and economic growth in Alabama,” said Neill S. Wright, president and CEO of Bronze Valley. “These companies show incredible promise, and we are excited to see the impact they will make on the state’s innovation landscape and beyond."
At the end of the program, the startup founders will showcase their companies to investors, community partners and the public at the regional Founder Fest event on December 10 and 11 in Birmingham.
Startup founders interested in learning more about gener8tor’s programming or applying to a future gener8tor Bronze Valley Investment Accelerator cohort can visit the Bronze Valley Investment Accelerator website, or reach out to Managing Director Allison Swagler at allison.swagler@gener8tor.com. Those interested in mentoring these companies or getting involved in other ways are also encouraged to connect.
Bronze Valley Investment Accelerator Fall 2024 Cohort
Companion Candles’ eco-friendly and pet-friendly candles promote the overall health and safety of animals. Companion Candles are free of the top 250 toxins typically found in candles and they use the cleanest-burning wax and a sustainable FSC-certified wooden wick. With 30 SKUs and an 83% profit margin, Companion Candles has generated more than $400,000 in lifetime revenue. Named a “Women-Owned Brand to Watch” by the Today Show, Companion Candles can be found in more than 500 stores, including Natural Grocers, Lazy Acres, and specialty pet stores.
Loren Lewin CEO & Founder | loren@companioncandles.com
EmpoweRx lowers hospitals’ contract labor cost while empowering healthcare professionals to increase earning potential and flexibility. EmpoweRx equips healthcare professionals with the educational tools and resources necessary to create their own small businesses, empowering them to stay beside while taking advantage of the financial benefits of operating as a small business vendor. EmpoweRx connects hospitals to an affordable, flexible, and highly skilled workforce of healthcare professionals through the EmpoweRx Marketplace. The EmpoweRx Marketplace streamlines end to end operations of contract talent management for all parties – vendors, clinical leaders, HR, and accounts payable – while modernizing workflows to save time and money. EmpoweRx is piloting with a robust, critical access hospital in Oregon with 5 confirmed RN placements since April 2024 and launching the MVP of the proprietary Marketplace in October 2024.
Mary Kathleen Bryan | Founder & CEO | mkbryan@empowerxinc.com
Pay4Me provides instant cross-border payments, banking, and financial services for international students and expatriates. Pay4Me offers new-to-country and new-to-credit individuals the ability to bank and build credit through the NextGen Card by Pay4Me. Pay4Me has generated over $300,000 in revenue while in beta and has built a waitlist of more than 100,000 users in advance of Pay4Me’s new product launch with a leading banking partner.
Sunday Paul Adah | CEO & Founder | paul@pay4me.app
Pye improves labor efficiency and reduces customer wait time for the hospitality and retail industries. Pye creates an effortless customer experience through a suite of automated solutions, including self-ordering kiosks, biometric payments, and customer identification. With notable partners including Chase Payments and Shift4 Payment, Pye has generated over $4 million in lifetime revenue.
Jegil Dugger | Founder and CEO | jegil@mypyepos.com
Roam liberates digital creative professionals from pricing confusion and streamlining admin tasks, all while eliminating the need for multiple management tool subscriptions. Roam's AI-powered Fee Finder uses a proprietary formula to guide creatives to price each unique project, manage client relations and project management. Roam’s Fee Finder, created with data from and in partnership with MIT, serves as business success manager for over 300 active users and over 2000 mailing list subscribers.
Stephanie Palumbo | CEO | stef@useroam.io
