Main Street Ventures, a local nonprofit dedicated to empowering entrepreneurship through equity-free funding, has awarded grants totaling $172,098 to help 13 small businesses grow and scale across Greater Cincinnati. By providing equity-free, non-dilutive funding to entrepreneurs and startups across eight counties within the Tri-State region, Main Street Ventures is helping to foster innovation and drive economic growth in the community through its Launch and Leap funding programs.
“Entrepreneurship and small businesses are the lifeblood of our region, and we are proud to be able to support this latest group of entrepreneurs,” said Kelly Bonnell, Main Street Ventures board chair. “For our region to thrive, it is essential for small businesses to succeed, and we look forward to seeing these entrepreneurs continue to grow and innovate. From building eco-conscious solutions to creating cost-effective technologies and streamlining operations through automation, this group is tackling real-world challenges with purpose. Their work is promising, practical, and has the potential to significantly shape the way our communities and industries operate.”
Since 2018, Main Street Ventures has distributed equity-free funding in the form of grants to more than 200 companies, totaling more than $4.5 million.
Launch Funding provides emerging, 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 promising, revenue-generating businesses with $10,000 to $30,000 of equity-free funding to scale their community impact and increase the odds of survival.
The companies receiving Launch Funding are:
– Ecoshell is the world’s only patented, eggshell-derived solution to the plastic crisis, which is market proven and has cost parity for brands struggling to meet reduction mandates or their own sustainability goal.
– Eindeutiphy, Inc. provides AI-driven solutions to companies across various industries, leveraging advanced machine learning and computer vision to enhance automation, decision-making, and operational efficiency.
– Jukebox is America’s first customized sparkling beverage studio, combining the nostalgia of premium, hand-crafted beverages with flavor and functional customization science.
– Perbacco is generative AI-based “HR in a Box” for cash, attention and knowledge-starved startup hiring managers.
– Soul Care is developing Wired Hope, an AI-powered mental health companion for Gen Z that combines personalized CBT-based chat support, emotional tracking, and real-time intervention using AI and wearables.
– SPORK is a highly flexible business operating methodology and system, transformed into a SaaS platform, that aligns individual and organizational efforts to achieve their goals and produce real results; all while fostering a culture of continuous improvement, increasing employee engagement, and maximizing productivity and performance.
The companies receiving Leap Funding are:
Fruleef Juicery is a vibrant, health-focused juice bar and café bringing flavorful, nutrient-rich juices, smoothies, and wholesome meals to the community—making healthy living accessible, delicious, and fun.
– Karneyium is automating site selection and patient recruitment for clinical trials using GIS and AI.
– Spice Spice Baby is a bold and fun seasoning brand aimed at bringing fresh, exciting flavors to kitchens everywhere.
– The Urban Farming Initiative is on a mission to invigorate American communities by creating and coordinating circular food systems in neighborhoods and cities through urban gardening and farming projects, controlled environment agriculture grow units, and educational and community programming.
For the fourth year, Main Street Ventures provided funding for a collaborative pitch competition for Cincinnati State Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program. Participants from the cohort pitched their projects to the Main Street Ventures team to receive industry feedback. The winners of the pitch competition receive a Leap Grant from Main Street Ventures.
The Cincinnati State Goldman Sachs 10K Small Businesses Pitch Competition Grant Recipients are:
– Delightful Hearts Home Care, LLC is dedicated to providing exceptional, cost-effective, family-focused care for the medically complex patient.
– Harmony Plant Fare is a New York City-inspired vegan deli in Findlay Market offering up local handcrafted vegan meats and cheese.
– Honey Child Pops makes whole blended fruit pops that taste great and are made with only the best ingredients. All of their pops are free from dairy, cane sugar, and gluten.
– San Jeanetta’s Table is a chef-driven restaurant gearing up to launch a catering and box lunch program.
Grants are made possible, in part, due to funding support from Ohio Third Frontier, the Hubert Family Foundation, the McDonald Family Foundation, The Pat Landi Access Fund, The P&G Fund, Jacob G. Schmidlapp Trust, and Northern Kentucky Entrepreneurship Fund in collaboration with Blue North and Horizon Community Funds, Represent Cincy, and the Backscheider/BGR Charitable Fund.
