Render Capital Launches Fourth Annual Render Competition

We are excited to announce the opening of applications for our fourth annual Render Competition. The competition aims to make funding more accessible to local early-stage startups in the Greater Louisville region, and attracts new entrepreneurs to the area who will be positioned to grow and scale locally. Up to eight winning startups will be selected and awarded an investment of $100,000 each, plus a broad package of benefits and support valued at over $1 million.

This year, the Render Competition also welcomes Triet Nguyen as Senior Associate at Render Capital. Triet brings a wealth of experience from his previous roles at The Dallas Entrepreneur Center, Capital Factory, and MicroVentures, and as a co-founder of a CPG company during COVID. He has volunteered his time to advise emerging funds and early-stage founders, and has programmed for Dallas Startup Week, Austin Startup Week, and SXSW.

“I’m over the moon at this opportunity to join the Render Capital team and partners in this journey to build a thriving startup and VC ecosystem in Louisville, Kentucky. I’m excited to bring what I’ve learned from my previous experiences helping founders,” said Triet Nguyen.

Over 230 applicants from all over the globe, in a variety of industries, applied in last year’s competition. The group was narrowed down based on analysis from our pool of 50-plus experienced judges, including Dr. Angelique Johnson (CEO, MEMStim LLC), Mykola Petrenko (Market President, Apex Service Partners), Elizabeth Rounsavall (Partner, Rounsavall Investments), Allie Burns (CEO, Village Capital), and Anthony Chiu (Investor).

The eight winners selected in 2022 were Connect, Fanluv, Smoove Creations, SenseGrass, Dreami, PrepSharp, Gamerabble, and TitleWise. These winners were celebrated and invited to pitch their ideas to an audience of over 200 people at the 2022 Render Competition Pitch Event at Lynn Family Stadium.

“Through the Render Competition, Render Capital has attracted some of the best startups from around the country to the Greater Louisville area. Because of the amazing entrepreneurs in our portfolio, including the winners of the Render Competition, Render Capital continues to experience success and is able to continue to grow,” said Patrick Henshaw, Managing Director of Render Capital. “This competition is one of the many ways we are doing our part to make Louisville a top destination for the best startups to flourish and support entrepreneurs.”

Companies from any industry can apply for the Render Competition if they identify as a high-growth startup, meaning they want to aggressively scale and seek an exit. These companies are most likely to seek venture capital funding to fuel their growth into other markets. Startups from any location can apply; however, winners who do not live in the Greater Louisville region must relocate their headquarters or founding team members to the area.