Four Northern Kentucky small businesses were awarded with grants from Main Street Ventures to help scale and grow their businesses.
Main Street Ventures is a Cincinnati-based entrepreneurship nonprofit that provides capital and coaching to entrepreneurs in the Greater Cincinnati area. They provide two types of grants: Launch Funding and Leap Funding.
Launch Funding provides pre-revenue businesses at the prototype or product stage with $5,000 to $10,000 of equity-free funding to increase the odds of reaching the market entry stage and beyond.
Leap Funding provides revenue-generating businesses with $10,000 to $30,000 of equity-free funding to scale their business and increase their sustainability.
“We are continuously impressed with the entrepreneurial spirit and drive of founders in the Cincinnati area, and Main Street Ventures is excited to support and guide our latest group of grant recipients as they take their companies to the next level,” Main Street Ventures Director of Engagement Abby Ober said in a press release. “We are looking forward to watching these companies flourish as they develop their ideas and businesses further.”
In total, $248,800 worth of funding was dished out to sixteen recipients from the Greater Cincinnati area during the second quarter grant cycle. Last quarter, six Northern Kentucky companies received Launch Funding while one received Leap Funding.
In January of this year, Blue North – Northern Kentucky’s entrepreneurial advocacy and resource nonprofit, launched the Northern Kentucky Entrepreneurship Fund, to increase funding opportunities and visibility for startups and small businesses in Northern Kentucky.
Blue North then partnered with Main Street Ventures to launch their first initiative through the Northern Kentucky Entrepreneurship Fund. Their primary goal was to increase Main Street Ventures’ funding to Northern Kentucky startups.
Launch Funding
4 Mile Wine is a winery and mead brewery based in the rural Campbell County city of Melbourne. Mead is an alcoholic beverage that is brewed by fermenting honey and water.
Danyelle’s Bellevue Tavern is a minority-owned sports bar located along Bellevue’s Fairfield Avenue. Danyelle’s plans on using the funding to open a food trailer behind their bar, as well as renovating the second floor above there bar.
Farmer Nate’s Sauce Co. is a small batch, Covington-based hot sauce manufacturer.
Leap Funding
The BodyBakery & Co. is a Florence-based high-protein, gluten-free dessert bakery which produces baked goods geared toward health-conscious consumers.
