Caregiver payment platform wins Bloomington pitch competition
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Bloomington-based not-for-profit entrepreneurship center The Mill this week named Paid.care the top prize winner of its Crossroads Idea Competition. The startup, co-founded by CEO JR Ricker, has developed an online caregiver payment platform.
Ricker will receive a $2,500 investment from the Flywheel Fund, the venture capital fund for startups created by The Mill.
Paid.care‘s platform helps family caregivers receive training to qualify for payment for the in-home care they provide for their loved ones. The service is currently only available to caregivers in Indiana, but the startup has plans to expand nationally through a mobile app.
“Paid.care has been working silently out of the Mill for the last 6 months and let me tell you, bootstrapping & building any startup that is pre-revenue can be stressful at times,” Ricker said in a news release. “With that, the Paid.care team was incredibly grateful to have the Crossroads Idea Competition as a way to showcase the last 6 months of work before we officially launch in 2024. Not to mention, we received feedback & necessary questions from an awesome group of judges that we’ll carry forward in future Paid.care pitches.”
Additionally, The Mill awarded its inaugural $1,000 Climate Resiliency Award thanks to a grant from Duke Energy.
The award went to Whitney Schlegel, co-owner of Marble Hill Farm in Bloomington and creator of Sheep Wool Pellets, which The Mill said are designed to “contribute to sustainable and resilient agricultural systems.”
The pellets can be used as a soil amendment or mulch, The Mill said. Schlegel said the idea came from an effort to find uses for waste wool to improve soil health and increase awareness for wool as a renewable resource.
“I so appreciate the support of The Mill and the community they cultivate for entrepreneurs, especially women entrepreneurs,” Schlegel said. “I am excited to continue to work with The Mill to develop my business model and marketing strategy for sheep wool pellets as a climate-smart commodity for specialty crop growers as well as for landscapers and gardeners.”
The Crossroads Idea Competition was created in 2020 to give entrepreneurs a chance to showcase their ideas and get feedback from expert judges.