From left, Staley House Founders Misti and Will Staley with DRA Chairman Caldwell.
Rejuvenix of Little Rock, a graduate of the Delta Innovation Fund (Delta I-Fund) accelerator, won $10,000 for technical assistance last week at the program’s 2019 Demo Day at the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock.
In addition, the audience that included prospective investors chose Staley House of Helena as the crowd favorite and to receive $1,000 for technical assistance after it pitched its product, a medical device called the FreeArm.
Technical assistance funds can be used for patenting, legal costs, market research, prototype development and more.
The Delta I-Fund is funded by the Delta Regional Authority and administered by Winrock International. Its mission is to help low-to-moderate income communities throughout the DRA’s territory through a 12-week, proof-of-concept accelerator. The program pairs each participating startup with a dedicated business mentor and an allowance of $5,000 for technical help.
DRA Federal Co-Chairman Chris Caldwell, Winrock President and CEO Rodney Ferguson and Gov. Asa Hutchinson spoke at the demo day.
“The one question that I get a lot is — and I talk about with my staff — is return on investment,” Caldwell said. “What I tell, the opening weekend, all the entrepreneurs is this: ‘Make no mistake, this is an investment. This is an investment we’re making in the Delta. I know that this company may be able to employ one or two people three or four years from now. But, if you’re here now, there’s really good odds that I’m investing in you before your second or third or fourth company.’ This is a very long game.”
Caldwell would like to see the Delta I-Fund model duplicated across the country. Ferguson said Winrock is proud of what it’s doing with this accelerator — “helping alleviate a lack of access to resources” — and he called the participating companies “inspiring.”
The governor added that the Delta is “so important to the economic vitality of our state and the future of our state … The largest gain that we will have in the future will be from entrepreneurship.”
In March, the Delta I-Fund began training a seventh set of participating companies, and, to date, it has supported 166 entrepreneurs.
Rejuvenix and Staley House were two of the eight program graduates that pitched their products and services at the demo day.
Rejuvenix has developed a radiation-triggered liposome that reduces chemotherapy side effects by delivering chemotherapy drugs directly to the tumor. Staley House’s FreeArm holds feeding pumps and bags used for bolus feeding.
The other graduates featured at the demo day were:
- Capture of Flowood, Mississippi, an online platform designed to simplify the process of collecting data in K-12 school districts by focusing on the core needs of educators, allowing them to adjust quickly to changing market needs.
- Careerquo of Memphis, which has developed an online platform to connect individuals entering or re-entering the workforce with mentors for interview practice, career advice and more.
- GSS Group of Blytheville, which has developed software that helps farmers become Good Agricultural Practices-certified.
- Precise Curanomics of Little Rock, which has developed a patented wrist brace that allows for more flexibility, wicks moisture and permits patients to wear a watch while using the brace.
- SchoolBox of Little Rock, which has developed a scalable, web-based virtual learning environment and management system designed for trainers, managers and instructors.
- Talaria Antibodies of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which has developed comprehensive kits for antibody-based research within high school, community college and university labs.
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