Entrepreneurs to Present their Business Pitches for Over $10,000 in Cash Prizes
Hartford, CT (Tuesday, June 3 2024)–reSET, the Hartford-based non-profit entrepreneur support organization committed to nurturing businesses with a social mission, will celebrate nine Impact Accelerator graduating companies at its Venture Showcase on Thursday, June 27, beginning at 5:30pm at the Connecticut Science Center in Hartford. The event is open to the public and tickets are available for purchase now at: www.resetco.org/events
The Venture Showcase will feature the companies pitching their businesses for over $10,000 in prize money, including an Audience Choice Award voted on by attendees and funded through audience contributions. Networking and tabling by the businesses will round out the evening, which promises to be a prime opportunity to see up-and-coming Hartford area businesses who are doing business for good.
This is the 13th class of businesses to engage in the Impact Accelerator, the only Connecticut business accelerator program that prioritizes identifying and measuring social impact alongside profit. Upon their graduation, these entrepreneurs will join a reSET Accelerator alumni community of over 150 companies who have participated since 2013. Collectively, reSET alumni companies have generated over $30 million in revenue, received over $18.7 million in investment and supported over 430 jobs.
“We intentionally selected companies for this cohort who are leading with impact, and as the Impact Accelerator has progressed, we are pleased to see their commitment to growing mission-driven startups,” said Sarah Bodley, Executive Director of reSET. “Four companies in the cohort have partnered with each other on projects to advance their businesses–Fresh Start Pallet Products built custom furniture for the just-launched ReFrame: A Dry Spot, and CT3D did prototype design work for jewelry designer Ainara. One company, Poem Renovation, just won the ePoster award at the Yale Innovation Summit. This cohort is swiftly entering the Connecticut innovation ecosystem, and we are thrilled to continue the momentum and introduce them to the community at the Venture Showcase.”
Over the past four months the 12 entrepreneurs working on nine businesses have accelerated their individual business growth through peer feedback, mentorship, and one-on-one guidance from reSET. Jeannette Punsoni Dardenne, owner of the public relations and marketing company INGroup Creative, served as Facilitator of the program. An eight-member advisory board helped select the participating entrepreneurs and served as mentors, advisors and guest speakers during the program.
This year’s Impact Accelerator cohort can be characterized in several different ways: seven are women-owned companies, four are companies founded by people identifying as Black, Indigenous and/or People of Color (BIPOC), two are focused on increasing employment opportunities, four are focused on health and mental health issues, and three work on business capacity building and elevating diverse communities through skill building.
Companies and entrepreneurs in the 2024 Impact Accelerator cohort are:
Ainara Designs LLC, is an innovative online jewelry brand revolutionizing the experience of motherhood. Their flagship product is a patent-pending, functional and customizable necklace that holds up a mother’s shirt while breastfeeding or pumping so that she doesn’t have to. AINARA’s mission is to design a better life for new moms, one where function meets style. Because every mother deserves to feel confident in her new skin.
CT3D is democratizing consumer products by creating an open, consumer-facing platform for designers and product development firms to post their products. These products can be either entirely 3D printed or an assembly requiring additional components. CT3D handles all manufacturing and fulfillment, allowing designers to do what they do best: design cool products.
Eatz on Demand LLC, is a centralized delivery service that caters to working professionals who have limited break time and access to food options!
Fresh Start Pallet Products is focused on removing barriers to employment with education in the carpentry and construction industry. With our woodshop in Hartford, we teach and create quality wood products for customers in the community.
Griefsense Join griefsense in supporting young adults navigating grief through our dynamic media and impactful events. Explore our approach by tuning into the griefsense podcast, which sets the stage for ‘The Grief Sala’, our Hartford-based conference designed to nurture young grievers through creativity, learning, and dialogue.
Hardy Enterprise is your one-stop solution for all your home needs. With our two divisions, Amos Home Inspection ensures peace of mind through thorough home inspections, and Hardy Home Solutions offers expert HVAC and appliance repair services. We will ensure that you are not buying a money pit when purchasing a home and that your home runs smoothly and efficiently when services are needed. Trust Hardy Enterprise for quality and reliability in every aspect of home care. Make it Hardy.
Nutrisoft LLC has developed NutriLab, a SaaS tool designed to assist food companies in determining the nutrient composition of their products. By entering the ingredients, it effortlessly calculates nutritional information, meaning the details found on the nutrition facts label of any packaged food. NutriLab serves as a pivotal SaaS resource that helps food companies of all sizes accurately determine nutrient compositions and create FDA-compliant Nutrition Facts Labels.
poemRENOVATION is a web-based word challenge used in schools to promote literacy, creativity and social-emotional learning. Students are presented daily with a scrambled snippet of literature. They select words that resonate with them, then move them around on a digital canvas to create something new.
Reframe: A Dry Spot is striving to create a safe and sober space to build community, in the heart of downtown Willimantic! With craft ready-to-drink nonalcoholic cocktails and a chic atmosphere, we’re creating the space we want to see in the world!
About reSET
reSET is a nonprofit organization in Hartford, CT, whose mission is advancing the social enterprise sector. reSET specializes in social enterprise ― impact-driven business with a double or triple bottom line. In addition to providing coworking space, accelerator, and mentoring programs, reSET aims to inspire innovation and community collaboration and to support entrepreneurs in creating market-based solutions to community challenges. reSET’s goal is to meet entrepreneurs wherever they are in their trajectory and to help them take their businesses to the next level. Visit reSET | Where Great Companies Grow (resetco.org).