Winners of statewide Elevate Nexus pitch competition named
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Five Indiana-based startups have received a total of $320,000 in pre-seed and seed investments as winners of the 2023 Elevate Nexus Statewide Pitch Competition. The event, hosted by Indianapolis-based Elevate Ventures, is designed to support high-growth businesses throughout the state.
Two companies each received a $100,000 seed investment, while the remaining three each received a $40,000 pre-seed investment. By virtue of being named winners, the companies have also joined Elevate’s venture development portfolio.
“Elevate is proud to congratulate these five outstanding founders, and we’re excited to watch them pursue their next big milestones,” Landon Young, executive director of entrepreneurial programming at Elevate Ventures, said in a news release.
This year’s winners are:
$100,000 Seed Investment Recipients
- Laxis Inc., Newburgh, IN: AI SaaS company led by CEO Eric Xiao.
- ReproHealth Technologies, Indianapolis: Agtech/Biotech device manufacturing company for cattle led by CEO Jim Donahue and associated with Purdue University.
Laxis also recently received a total of $125,000 from the Flywheel Fund in Bloomington and the South Bend-Elkhart Fund.
“At Laxis, we are dedicated to bringing AI and automation to sales teams to increase productivity and accelerate growth,” Laxis CEO Eric Xiao said in a news release. “With this win under our belt, we’re even better equipped to roll out exciting AI features and reach our next milestones.”
ReproHealth Technologies also previously won a $20,000 seed investment in the Crossroads Pitch Competition hosted by The Mill in Bloomington.
$40,000 Pre-Seed Investment Recipients
- HUMN Capital, West Lafayette, IN: B2B SaaS human resources company led by CEO Angela Goldenstein and associated with Purdue University.
- Kinga Safety Inc., South Bend, IN: Personal safety and edtech company led by Founder Ambrose Kamya and associated with the University of Notre Dame and enFocus Inc.
- Soloist, Bloomington, IN: B2C music technology platform for musicians led by CEO Parker Busick and associated with Indiana University and The Dimension Mill.
Since its inception in 2019, the Elevate Nexus Pitch Competitions have awarded nearly $6.5 million to 138 companies, with 14 receiving follow-on investments.