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Arch Grants Awards $300,000 to Three Local Companies Through Growth Grants Program

Jan 9, 2025
Figozo Growth Grants Arch Shani Bennett Kevonne Martin

We are excited to announce that we’ve awarded $300,000 in non-dilutive grants to three of our portfolio companies through our unique Growth Grants funding program. Figozo, King of the Curve, and iSite Media were each awarded $100,000.

“We’re thrilled to award Growth Grants to these promising companies,” said Gabe Angieri, Executive Director at Arch Grants. “We expect to see them continue to grow their operations in St. Louis as a result of this program, and we’re thrilled to help them scale their innovative solutions well beyond our region.”

Our Growth Grants program is open to companies that have been previously awarded by the organization and are positioned to take their businesses to the next stage of growth. The funds awarded through Growth Grants are non-dilutive and awardees must raise matching growth capital from other external sources.

“We are honored to receive this Growth Grant, a testament to the transformative impact we’re making in the world of standardized test preparation,” said Heath Rutledge-Jukes, Co-Founder of King of the Curve. “This grant will enable us to scale our team, enhance our offerings, and strengthen our commitment to empowering students and professionals to achieve their dreams while contributing to the economic growth of our community.”

Shani Bennett, CEO of Figozo, sees bright days ahead. “This influx of funding provides the financial support we need to aggressively scale our operations and make an even greater impact,” he said. “Such support exemplifies how Arch Grants empowers Founders to bring their visions to life while strengthening St. Louis’ entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

Helping high-growth companies build their operations in St. Louis is a key focus of our work. Through our annual Startup Competition, Growth Grants program, and other complementary initiatives, we’re seeking to generate significant positive impact on the regional economy and the broader community.

“St. Louis is our home, and we’re proud to be building iSite in our hometown,” said Brian Lord, CEO & Co-Founder of iSite Media. “We are ready to expand operations and hire locally. This Growth Grant is proof positive that Arch Grants supports its companies well beyond its initial grant program, and we’re ready to double down on St. Louis.”

We launched the Growth Grants program launched in 2021 to provide follow-on funding to Arch Grants Companies that have demonstrated success in creating jobs and expanding operations in St. Louis. Any Arch Grants portfolio company operating in St. Louis is eligible to apply and, if awarded, must commit to maintaining its headquarters in the region for at least two years. An expert panel of volunteer judges with a wide breadth of industry, investor, and entrepreneurial experience evaluated applicants using a defined rubric.

Since 2021, we have awarded 19 companies a total of $1,850,000 in funding through Growth Grants. Growth Grants-awarded companies have collectively raised over $89 million in follow-on funding and created 466 local jobs.

“We cannot wait to see what the next phase of development brings for these three companies,” Angieri said. “The future of our region is stronger with great companies like Figozo, King of the Curve, iSite Media, and many others we support committed to growing here, and Arch Grants stands ready to support them every step of the way.”

About the Awardees

In 2024, Figozo, King of the Curve, and iSite Media were each awarded $100,000 in non-dilutive grant funding to grow their businesses in St. Louis. These three Arch Grants Companies have also received follow-on investments from organizations including Acumen Fund, Aflac Ventures, American Family Ventures, Benson Capital Partners, Closed Loop Partners, Connetic Ventures, Precursor Ventures, and Rarebreed Ventures.

Figozo, an Arch Grants 2022 Cohort company, revolutionizes customer experiences across the food, beauty, health, and wellness industries. Through its AI-powered customer experience platform that serves as an automated concierge, they are delivering personalized services and enhancing customer retention. By merging advanced AI with expert human insights, Figozo enables businesses of all sizes to offer premium, tailored customer engagement at scale, boosting satisfaction, loyalty, and revenue without needing in-house technical resources. Company leadership includes Shani Bennett, CEO, and Kevonne Martin, COO.

King of the Curve is part of our 2023 Cohort. The company is revolutionizing the journey from high school to physician by offering a comprehensive platform tailored for aspiring medical professionals. Their unique blend of high-quality test prep, personalized mentorship, and cutting-edge predictive analytics ensures students are not only prepared for medical entrance exams but also receive insights into top-tier medical school admissions. While their core expertise is in medical education, the adaptability of their platform means they’re poised to expand their transformational approach to other academic domains in the future. Leadership includes Heath Rutledge-Jukes, Co-Founder, and William Kelly, Co-Founder.

iSite Media, part of our 2019 Cohort, provides brands a platform that showcases a clear message to a captive and targeted audience, while delivering an asset to venues that monetizes an often-
overlooked area of their establishment. Fans and visitors routinely visit the restrooms of live sports and entertainment venues, and the company saw this as an opportunity to revolutionize the space with cutting-edge technology that drives new value to advertisers and venues alike. Leadership includes
Brian Lord, CEO and Co-Founder, and Kim Lord, Managing Partner and Co-Founder.

Thank you to the St. Louis Business Journal, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis Public Radio, and St. Louis Magazine’s email business newsletter for the positive coverage of our Growth Grants announcement.

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