Archives: Companies

The Fattened Caf

Origin: MO | Grant Awarded: 2022 | Status: Active

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What is The Fattened Caf?

The Fattened Caf started through a series of game nights. It was a way for Darren to perfect his BBQ skills and a way for Charlene to introduce Filipino food to her STL community. Since then, it has grown into a pop up restaurant inside Earthbound Beer. At the height of the pandemic, Charlene and Darren had to figure out a way to pivot the business to stay afloat. They started working on a smoked longganisa recipe and packaging them for people to cook at home. It was a way for their customers to still get their Filipino food fix from The Fattened Caf in the comfort of their own home. When the opportunity came to put their packaged goods in Schnucks, they took the opportunity to get Filipino food on the shelves on mainstream grocery stores. Today they can also be found in Fresh Thyme City Foundry, United Provisions, and Old North Provisions.

Company Leadership

Charlene Bakunawa Young

co-founder & vp of operations

Charlene is a transplant to STL from Los Angeles, California. Before living in STL, she was in Melbourne Australia getting her Masters in International Relations from the University of Melbourne. She’s worked for the fundraising development field team of UNHCR, as a Policy Analyst for Project Respect, and then a Data Analyst here in STL. Since Sept 2020, she left full time work to pursue The Fattened Caf.
Charlene is a mom of 2 (3 year old and 8 month old). She considers STL her home and is empowered by all the Filipino American chefs in STL’s food scene. Even though her passion is still in humanitarian work, her mission through The Fattened Caf is to bring authentic Filipino food into grocery stores.
On her spare time, she loves to spend time with her family, Sunday family days, being outdoors, cleaning her home, and traveling.

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Darren Young

Co-founder & CEO

Darren Young is a transplant to STL from Santa Clarita, California. He has devoted over 16 years in non profit management and community development. He has a degree in Urban Missions. Currently, he is the Area Director of Young Life, a youth development and outreach program, in Saint Louis City. When he isn’t program planning and strategic thinking, Darren loves all things BBQ and is the grill master of The Fattened Caf. He enjoys recipe development and sausage making the most! Darren also enjoys feeding people. In his free time, he loves hanging out with his family, grilling for friends, and watching a great movie.On her spare time, she loves to spend time with her family, Sunday family days, being outdoors, cleaning her home, and traveling.

Queritel

Origin: FL | Grant Awarded: 2022 | Status: Active

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What is Queritel?

Committed to helping independent business owners compete and win, Queritel’s cutting-edge omnichannel retail point-of-sale (POS) solution—Figozo —equips SMBs with the ability to reach more customers both in-store and online while maintaining the level of personalization that makes them stand out.

So, how does it work? Figozo helps retailers set up cloud-based catalogs that are updated in real-time so they can have an accurate view of the products they have available, whether they are selling in-store, online, at a flea market, farmers market, or all of the above. With Figozo, merchants can build their online store, configure a slick POS device for in-store and on-the-go transactions, plus offer multiple payment methods, including Venmo, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and gift cards, to provide a seamless customer experience. The platform can also keep track of inventory and send updates to team members or key stakeholders (like brands) about items that might soon be out of stock, helping retail merchants efficiently track and manage supplies.

Company Leadership

Shani Bennett

cEO

Shani Bennett is the co-founder and CEO of Queritel, a data analytics engine for independent retailers. Prior to Queritel, Shani was a senior analyst for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. Shani Bennett is passionate about human and community development. Shani loves to watch cooking shows and designing logos for imaginary companies.

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Pivto Digital Learning

Origin: MO | Grant Awarded: 2022 | Status: Active

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What is Pivto Digital Learning?

Pivto Digital Learning transforms digital learning for the healthcare industry. Pivto provides custom eLearning experiences through consumer-focused technologies – mobile, micro, and social. Cinematic quality video-based learning is delivered through E-Laborate, our online LMS platform. Our platform, E-Laborate, is simple to use with a modern user interface. Our clients include leading healthcare systems, medical organizations, pharmaceutical & medical device companies, and public health agencies & associations. We help healthcare organizations train employees, customers, or patients anytime, anywhere, from any device.

Company Leadership

Kelley Robson

founder & cEO

Kelley Robson brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in healthcare – including several startup organizations. Kelley’s healthcare industry experience includes sales, marketing, and training roles at GSK, Baxter Healthcare, and Siemens. Kelley is a graduate of the University of Missouri.

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Peppermint

Origin: MO | Grant Awarded: 2022 | Status: Active

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What is Peppermint?

Peppermint is a consumer healthcare brand that designs beautiful products for those with mobility challenges. Its first product is a walker unlike any other.

For the first time in US history, those over 65 years of age will out number those under 18. These are known as the “baby boomers” and they are very different than the generation before them. Among the many differences is their interest in “embracing” as opposed to “accepting” their age, and their focus on health and wellness.

The healthcare equipment category is filled with brands that force a feeling of being a patient instead of a person, and products that look like hospital furniture.

By reinventing what a brand and its products can look like for those with mobility challenges, Peppermint can help encourage people to embrace their season of life and better connect them with their loved ones, communities, and their health and wellness.

Company Leadership

Scott Bernstein

founder & cEO

Scott has dedicated much of his career to innovative businesses on both the investor and operator sides. Prior to founding Peppermint, Scott sat on the leadership teams of several startups including Freely Pet and Stix Golf.

Scott was also on the investment team at Lewis & Clark Ventures, a Series A stage VC firm, and managed operations for Capital Innovators.

Scott has an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BA in Economics from the University of Colorado Boulder.

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Nutrible

Origin: CA | Grant Awarded: 2022 | Status: Active

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What is Nutrible?

Nutrible is a web app and virtual medical practice that delivers diagnosis-based food directly to patients as soon as they are discharged from hospitals, emergency departments, behavioral health facilities, and other healthcare settings.

More than 3.8 million times per year, patients leave healthcare settings without the resources they need to live independently. With our technology and processes, we partner with healthcare organizations to ensure their most vulnerable patients live full and healthy lives.

Company Leadership

Kwamane Liddell, JD, MHA, BSN

founder & cEO

Kwamane Liddell, JD, MHA, BSN is a health equity visionary and business leader who has saved lives, and believes healthy food should be accessible to every sick person. While Kwamane was an emergency department nurse, he witnessed the devastation that happens to families when they don’t have the right food at home. Those patients inspired him to create Nutrible, where he uses his experiences as a trauma nurse, healthcare lawyer, and entrepreneur to build technology that connects the current healthcare and grocery systems. Nutrible focuses on the most vulnerable patient populations and makes it easy for patients to access food that aligns with their medical, cultural, and financial needs.

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Noveil

Origin: CA | Grant Awarded: 2022 | Status: Active

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What is Noveil?

Noveil is a video based dating app for Generation Z college students that uses machine learning to match users. We created Noveil because we noticed several problems in the dating industry such as superficial dating practices, lack of women’s safety, and poor success rates for actual relationships. Our platform solves these issues by allowing users to speak with one another via video chat for 3 minutes before they decide whether or not the would like to match with this person.

Company Leadership

Michael Allotey

cEO

Michael Allotey is an LA native who graduated from the University of California , Irvine in 2021 with a B.S in Computer Science and Innovation. He has experience as an engineer at Amazon as well as Investment banking with Goldman Sachs. He is passionate about technology and how it can be used to improve the quality of life.

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Kendrick Barefield

Co-founder

Kendrick Barefield grew up in Bakersfield, CA and graduated from University of California, Irvine with a Bachelors degree in Mechanical engineering in 2021. His industry experience includes Engineering design with Lucid Motors and Thermal engineering with Masten Space Systems. Kendrick has committed to giving back to the community, serving on the board of the National Society of Black Engineers and participating as a mentor in the 100 Black Men of Orange County.

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MOODEAUX

Origin: GA | Grant Awarded: 2022 | Status: Active

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What is MOODEAUX?

When the world commands you to shrink, we say do the opposite: Flaunt How You Feel.® As a clean fragrance label rooted in the scientific connection between scent, memory and emotion, MOODEAUX® turns accessorizing your mood into mindful self-care and “luxury” into a lifestyle —  all minus any harsh alcohol, weird chemicals or unnecessary dyes. It’s through this attitude, along with our unique blends of drool-worthy accords and skin-nourishing ingredients, we’re changing the game forever. Welcome to a new era in beauty.

Company Leadership

Brianna Arps

founder & cEO

Brianna Arps is a former editor-turned-marketing expert whose passion for people, storytelling and all things beauty finally led to the birth of her very own “brand-children” MOODEAUX® and Black In Fragrance.™ In the same way as her bold sense of style, Brianna wears her emotions like a badge of honor — navigating through life by the simple motto: Flaunt How You Feel.® A St. Louis native, she’s known as an outspoken, charismatic big thinker working to make the world around her better — starting with perfume. Brianna holds a bachelor’s degree from the world’s first School of Journalism seated at the University of Missouri.

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MARSfarm

Origin: MO | Grant Awarded: 2022 | Status: Active

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What is MARSfarm?

There is a technological revolution occurring in the agricultural industry to ensure that humans will be able to sustainably feed our growing population in a changing climate. For over a century, U.S. farmers have learned the technical skills they need from vocational programs in secondary schools. Teachers working in these agriculture programs are desperate to bridge the growing disconnect between the technology being used in the industry and what is accessible to them.

MARSfarm brings ag-tech into the classroom by providing a platform for agricultural educators to give students early exposure to emerging industry practices and problems. Countertop-sized greenhouses designed for the classroom are the enabling hardware of this platform. Our software provides the ability to execute control sequences (called “recipes”) in these greenhouses and remotely monitor them. Consumable kits consisting of seeds, fertilizer, etc. are paired with “recipes” designed in partnership with pioneers of emerging agricultural technologies. This combination of equipment, software, and consumables will ensure that educators are always teaching industry-relevant skills that lead to valuable career education.

Company Leadership

Peter Webb

cEO

Peter Webb began his career working first as a database administrator and then in a business development role at Hussmann Corporation. Peter has also consulted for The Open Agriculture Initiative at the MIT Media Lab and served as the Director of Indoor Farming at The Yield Lab Institute where he mentored several startups in the IN2 program.

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Drew Thomas

coO

Drew Thomas comes from a background in engineering, manufacturing, and career technical education. After experiencing CTE training firsthand at Ranken Technical College, he spent his career programming CNC machines to serve the aerospace industry. This led to consulting opportunities for Quip and a teaching position at TechShop, a maker-space formerly in Cortex.

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JAKAPA

Origin: MO | Grant Awarded: 2022 | Status: Active

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What is JAKAPA?

JAKAPA measures, trains, and tracks soft skills. Bad soft skills are the #1 reason someone will be fired, and bad manager soft skills are a top reason why great employees quit. JAKAPA helps businesses improve their productivity and decrease turnover by providing data-driven answers to 3 of our client’s critical questions about training and engagement:
1. Are my company’s employee development initiatives actually working?
2. How can I help my employees improve their soft skills outside of training and feedback sessions?
3. How do I catch employee development disengagement early so I can intervene before it becomes permanent?
We achieve this using reliable and validated assessment technology, daily soft skill challenges, and an actionable dashboard. JAKAPA gives management and individual employees data clarity around their real-time strengths, weaknesses, and engagement metrics.

Company Leadership

Gavin Pringle

cEO

Gavin Pringle got his entrepreneurial start when he noticed a lack of focus on soft skills in traditional education. This alarmed him due to his experience managing successful teams as a Navy Submariner. Gavin was inspired to found JAKAPA when he learned that bad soft skills are a top reason for employee turnover. He wants to help every business focus on improving their employees’ soft skills by providing frequent measurement, training, and tracking.

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Lisa Riegel

coO

Dr. Lisa Riegel is the chief designer for the Skill Builder Challenge Platform in JAKAPA. She is an internationally sought-after thought leader for program improvement and leadership development. She feels her life experiences as a recruiter, educator, administrator, state-level education policy maker, workforce development consultant, and leadership coach have all led to the development of the JAKAPA platform.

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Keara Pringle

ctO

Keara Pringle is an engineer and project manager. She is an agile project management enthusiast that has taken numerous engineering projects from ideation to full commercial release. Keara is passionate about JAKAPA due to her experience working in Corporate America and seeing what poor soft skills can do to team performance. She wants to help businesses develop stronger corporate cultures through better soft skill training and hiring practices.

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