The 2021 cohort of Holekamp Seed Fund winners is out. The fund awards $1,000 to very early stage Washington University, St. Louis student ventures. The fund was established by Olin professor Cliff Holekamp who is also cofounder and Managing Director of Cultivation Capital. The award comes with no strings, and is designed to give student entrepreneurs their first boost.
Cliff Holekamp, cofounder and Managing Director, Cultivation Capital
“A little tiny push at the very beginning creates a lot of momentum further down the road,” Cultivation Capital Managing Director Cliff Holekamp told the 4thEst8. “The goal is to provide that first check into these companies that gives them the impetus to go ahead and take that first step and begin that path that hopefully will turn into momentum down the road.”
This years winners are:
- Tylmen – a direct-to-consumer line of accessories.
- Greenlight – an online shopping extension that grades sustainability of brands.
- EDUrain – financial services for the college bound.
- Made by BLU – maker of gourmet nut butters.
- RaiseMeFunds – a crowdfunding platform for people in West African countries.
- FreeEats – an app to reduce food waste on college campuses.
- Sherpa – a data tool to provide real-time information to event organizers.
- Lumiere – a streaming platform for short films.
- DRIPTEK – a lubrication system for wires in cranes and elevators to reduce downtime.
Links:
Olin Blog Article by Olivia Hanford
On the 4thEst8:
Holekamp on Holekamp Seed Fund
EDUrain completes proof of concept for trickiest component
