Birmingham-based Bronze Valley recently added two new companies to its investment portfolio of startups. The addition of Stimulus and Pruuvn brings to 17 the number of investments by Bronze Valley since its launch in 2017.

“Both of these companies are geared to the present and future of business in a changing landscape,” said Neill S. Wright, president and CEO of Bronze Valley. “Stimulus and Pruuvn are outstanding additions to the Bronze Valley portfolio. We look forward to helping them grow and prosper.”

Stimulus helps companies meet challenges associated with supply chain management – challenges that have only increased in the era of COVID-19. Based in Philadelphia, Stimulus uses a proprietary algorithm to help clients improve their sourcing and purchasing decisions, and build a supply chain that gives them a competitive advantage.

“Supply chain is the new sexy issue,” said Tiffany Stanard, the founder and CEO of Stimulus. “Everything we eat, drink and wear comes from a different place, a different company. COVID humanized that. It made people understand why it’s important, and why it needs to be streamlined and managed properly. That’s creating opportunities for our company.”

Prior to founding Stimulus in 2017, Stanard was an executive in vendor management, with over 15 years of experience working with vendors and suppliers for some of the largest publicly traded companies in the country. That experience equipped her with an understanding of what she calls “relationship intelligence,” the bottom-line impact that comes from building a strong network of suppliers and giving them the same level of attention and courtesy that employees and customers receive. The concept touches on issues relative to diversity, equity and inclusion.

“Sourcing and procurement are strategic functions,” Stanard said, pointing out that companies spend more on suppliers than any other balance sheet item. “It’s important to focus on who you’re working with and why you’re working with them.”

Atlanta-based Pruuvn assists companies in identifying and hiring new employees faster while reducing risk. Utilizing blockchain technology, Pruuvn aids in attracting verified employees and contractors, adding them quickly and effectively to work teams, and monitoring their compliance safely and securely. It helps people maintain control of their credentialing and background data, providing the ability to share it on demand with prospective employers, financial institutions and virtually anyone else who needs it.

“It’s about fostering economic opportunity,” said Pruuvn founder and CEO Bryan Hobbs. “Pruuvn works for everybody. It helps companies identify and search for candidates that meet set criteria, get them hired and onboard them instantly. It helps contractors and gig workers by giving them control over their own information and data. It helps everyone involved in the process make better decisions and gives them greater peace of mind.”

Prior to founding Pruuvn, Hobbs worked for Norfolk Southern, a leading railroad freight company. While describing Norfolk Southern as “a great company that provided me the opportunity to grow,” Hobbs noted that his upward mobility entailed moving his family four times within five years. In the last move, his wife lost out on a salary increase because a previous employer failed to verify her work history. That’s when the idea of Pruuvn was born.

“The employer was verifying work history and credentials in an antiquated way,” Hobbs said. “That made no sense, as it was not the first time my wife’s work history had to be verified. Pruuvn eliminates that concern, utilizing blockchain technology that streamlines the entire process.”

A data trust with a simple signup process, Pruuvn has more than 1,000 credentialed users. Hobbs said the numbers so far reflect that users achieve 30% savings in onboarding cost and 75% in onboarding time. Pruuvn is assisting clients in making more than 500 hires per month.

Bronze Valley was launched five years ago with support from Alabama Power. It is a nonprofit, early-stage venture investment platform that supports high-growth innovation and technology-enabled companies created by diverse, underrepresented and underestimated founders. Bronze Valley is certified as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). Learn more at bronzevalley.com.

(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)

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)

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — Startup accelerator gener8tor announced that five companies have been selected for its Summer 2021 Bronze Valley Accelerator program, giving them access to individualized coaching and a national network of mentors, customers, corporate partners and investors.

The startups, recruited from Alabama and throughout the Southeast, represent a wide variety of industries and verticals, ranging from waste technology to fan fiction content generation.

The group represents the third class for the Bronze Valley Accelerator, which focuses on supporting female entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs of color using the gBETA model from gener8tor. (more…)

Bronze Valley Accelerator and Innovate Birmingham announced the launch of gener8tor Upskilling, a free training program to help Alabama residents obtain critical digital skills for in-demand jobs. Funded through a grant from Microsoft, the program will kick off its first, virtual statewide class in June.

“Bronze Valley’s mission is creating an education-to-opportunity-to-outcome pipeline through investment, technical assistance, connections and support for strengthening education,” said Bronze Valley President and CEO Neill Wright. “Our partnership with gener8tor continues to emerge as an integral component of our efforts.

“The Upskilling program will enhance those efforts,” Wright added. “It will bolster Alabama’s technology ecosystem by increasing the pool of diverse talent for both entrepreneurs and established tech companies.” (more…)

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama ​– Startup accelerator gener8tor announced today the participants selected for 10 Fall 2020 gBETA cohorts, including five promising companies in the program’s inaugural class at the Bronze Valley Accelerator.

Birmingham’s Bronze Valley​ is a non-profit, early stage venture investment platform that focuses on supporting female entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs of color.

“Bronze Valley is committed to creating and maintaining an entrepreneurial environment that is more nurturing, more supportive and more inclusive,” said Bronze Valley President & CEO Neill S. Wright. “This cohort of promising startups represents a great start for the Accelerator.” (more…)

Bronze Valley Accelerator has hired Haley Medved Kendrick as its director and has announced startups from Birmingham, Alabama and throughout the Southeast can apply for the program.

Kendrick comes to Bronze Valley Accelerator with a background in economic development and building public-private partnerships in Birmingham’s technology sector, most recently as executive director of Innovate Birmingham.

Nationally ranked startup accelerator gener8tor and Birmingham’s Bronze Valley announced in July they were launching the Bronze Valley Accelerator program, ​a free accelerator program for local startups with local roots. (more…)