Render Capital has deployed over $5.3 million into the regional economy and invested in over 30 local startups. We are now excited to announce the closing of our second fund which doubles our size to almost $30M under management and helps us scale our impact by unlocking more access to capital for our region’s best startup founders, encouraging their growth and sustainability within the region.
This new second fund will focus on an expanded footprint to include more areas of the Midwest and South in addition to our current target area of Jefferson County, Kentucky and Floyd and Clark counties in Indiana. This new fund will be focused on making seed growth stage equity investments into startups that have innovative solutions, experienced teams, and are attacking a large market with global application. Industries of focus will include healthcare/health IT, supply chain and logistics, advanced manufacturing, consumer goods, and eCommerce, food and beverage, and B2B SaaS. The new fund is backed by all of Render Capital’s current investors and adds an institutional anchor of 50 South Capital and other notable entrepreneurs, business owners, and family offices like Brook Smith and Rocket Ship Launch Pad.
“We are excited about the momentum we are seeing in this region and are looking forward to putting more capital to work for local entrepreneurs. We are proud of our team and the trust they have built with founders and investors alike within our ecosystem. This new fund will be a catalyst for our work moving forward,”
- Patrick Henshaw, Managing Director of Render Capital
In addition to the new fund, we are excited to welcome the new strategic hire of Mike Shepard who will be joining the experienced team as the new Operating Partner, Investments and Finance. Mike brings over 20 years of experience working with and scaling high-growth companies in industries including data centers, ed tech, healthcare IT, medical devices, and ag tech where he raised over $50M in angel and venture capital. Most recently, as a venture capitalist and entrepreneur-in-residence at Elevate Ventures, he advised companies in a wide range of industries and made investment recommendations.
“I have a passion for working with early-stage founders and helping them live their best life. I am excited to bring this passion to Render Capital, which has quickly become one of the major players in the region for venture capital. I am excited to be joining a team that is doing amazing work expanding access to capital for our region’s best startups.”
- Mike Shepard, Operating Partner, Investments and Finance
Render Capital was started in 2020 as a regional strategy of Access Ventures, providing early-stage risk capital specifically for entrepreneurs located in Louisville and Southern Indiana. Render Capital makes investments and runs programs that build up the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem, including programs like their flagship Render Competition which is holding its 2022 showcase event on Thursday, September 22nd at Lynn Family Stadium. This free event, which is part of Louisville Startup Week, is open to the public. Attendees can register here.