Arch Grants officially awarded $300,000 in non-dilutive grants to three of its portfolio
companies through its unique, non-dilutive Growth Grants funding program. The list of companies
includes Honeymoon Chocolates, Inclusively, and zPods.
“We are thrilled to award these three companies through our Growth Grants program,” said Gabe
Angieri, Arch Grants’ Executive Director. “These awardees’ ongoing commitment to growing their
businesses in St. Louis will benefit our region by creating new local jobs, expanding manufacturing
facilities, and leading innovation in their respective sectors. Since launching this program in 2021, we
have awarded over $1.1M in Growth Grants to twelve Arch Grants portfolio companies, which have
subsequently raised over $29.5M in cumulative matching growth capital to continue scaling in St. Louis.”
Honeymoon Chocolates, Inclusively, and zPods have each been awarded $100,000 in non-dilutive
funding that must be matched at least two-to-one by outside funds (equity investments, debt financing,
or grants). The three Growth Grants awardees for the Fall 2022 Program Cycle are:
– Honeymoon Chocolates, a 2021 Cohort Company, produces ethically-sourced bean-to-bar
chocolate sweetened with raw honey.
– Founders: Cameron Loyet and Haley Loyet
– Inclusively, a 2020 Cohort Company, is a technology-centered employment and training
platform that enables companies to elevate workplace accommodations from a compliancereporting function to a competitive advantage.
– Founders: Sarah Bernard and Charlotte Dales
– zPods, a 2021 Cohort Company, is developing a sensory-friendly bed for autistic children and
other people for whom sleep is challenging.
– Founders: George Bailey, Gary Kellmann and Jeff Wade
“With the largest concentration of Inclusively employees residing in St. Louis, we are reaping the
benefits of having team density in one location,” said Sarah Bernard, Founder and COO of Inclusively.
“Winning an Arch Grants Growth Grant allows us to recommit to accelerating the growth of our
company with the amazing St. Louis community serving as our continued home base and support
system.”
“The funding we’re receiving from Arch Grants will be helpful to us as we increase our inventory for
better lead time, secure our intellectual property, pursue clinical trials, extend our market reach, and
develop new technologies to improve sleep in children,” said George Bailey, Founder and President of
zPods. “We are so grateful for this vote of confidence from the St. Louis community and are thrilled that
people here share our vision for what we can do to improve sleep in autistic children and others for
whom sleep environment is critical.”
“Winning a Growth Grant offers an opportunity to further expand Honeymoon’s impact on the St. Louis
economy,” said Cameron Loyet, Founder and CEO of Honeymoon Chocolates. “Our team and chocolate
have been STLMade since 2019 when we started manufacturing chocolate out of a church commissary
kitchen for honeybee & cocoa lovers searching for a unique & earth-friendly indulgence. We plan on
using the Growth Grant money to fund the development of a sales team as we grow our nationwide
wholesale footprint with retailers like Whole Foods.”
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
Company still operating in St. Louis is eligible to apply and, if awarded, must commit to maintaining its
headquarters in St. Louis for at least two years. An expert panel of volunteer judges evaluates applicants
with a wide breadth of industry, investor, and entrepreneurial experience.
