Introducing Derby Tech Summit

When you think of Kentucky, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Venture capital? Probably not. More than likely, you think of bourbon and the Kentucky Derby. Our team at Render Capital is changing the venture capital landscape of Southern Indiana, Louisville, and Kentucky as a whole by being headquartered here.

Here’s a question: do you know how much was bet on the Kentucky Derby in 2023? A record $188 million, all for a two-minute race.

Another question: how much was invested in Kentucky venture capital in 2023? Not in two minutes, not in two days, but in 365 days: $115 million.

It seems only natural for us to lean into one of the largest economic engines and most iconic events in Kentucky, and merge the two with our focus on increasing venture capital allocations to the area.

For the 2024 Render Competition we are deploying $1.2M in one night. The competition is only one event out of a power-packed 48 hours of capital, content, and connections. But before the competition, we have two days of activities curated for founders, investors, and community partners.

Day 1

The Derby Tech Summit opens to the public with a kickoff event the evening of April 30 at Frost Brown Todd, from 5pm to 8pm. Drinks and refreshments will be provided, along with an opportunity to get to know the Render Capital team, investors, founders, winners, and more.

Day 2

Day 2 is another power-packed day at the University of Louisville football stadium, with over 20 venture capital investors in attendance representing $1B in assets under management.

The day includes a cornerstone venture capital panel of fund-of-funds managers, including JB Kropp from Cintrifuse Capital and Aaron Gillum from 50 South Capital / Northern Trust, that you will not want to miss.

We will also host Startup Grind and an investor reverse pitch, where VCs have to pitch their fund to startups, rather than the other way around as we typically see in the venture space.

We will also have a CPG, consumer packaged goods, focused lunch. With the hubs and headquarters of industry behemoths like Yum Brands, Kroger, and Procter & Gamble, and fulfillment headquarters like the UPS global air hub, Amazon Prime’s air hub at Cincinnati’s CVG airport, and Wayfair, all here in Kentucky right along the commerce corridor, it’s another must-attend event. We will follow the CPG lunch with the State of Entrepreneurship in America.

The culmination of the Derby Tech Summit is the 2024 Render Competition Showcase, overlooking the Kentucky Derby “Champions Day,” held at the University of Louisville Cardinal Stadium’s Angel’s Envy Bourbon Club. We packed in all the things Kentucky is known for, and what we want it to be known for.

There will be food, drink, good times, connections, and most importantly, check writers in the room writing checks, not on horses, but on the jockeys of awesome early-stage, venture-backable founders.