The Valley

Sep 27, 2023

Bronze Valley provides grants to five Black founders Bronze Valley announced on February 1 that it will provide non-dilutive grant capital of $10,000 each to five Alabama-based startups led by Black founders. The grants are made possible through funding provided by Appalachian Community Capital , in partnership with Wells Fargo’s Open for Business Fund . “We are pleased to be able to support these emerging startup companies and their founders in this way,” said Neill S. Wright, president and CEO of Bronze Valley. “We’re grateful to Appalachian Community Capital and Wells Fargo for furthering Bronze Valley’s mission by providing this sort of agile investment capital.” The grant recipients are: Prismm , a platform that digitizes critical documents such as account and insurance information, providing a single place with regulated access for individuals and families in times of emergency. Founder: Martha Underwood. Peak U , which provides busy professionals with on-demand fitness programs, including live training sessions, diet and motivational tools, and a library of expert-led training regimens. Founder: Reggie Jackson. Babypalooza , an online community for new, expectant, and hopeful moms seeking personalized connection to products, information, and each other. Founder: Cecilia Pearson. City Detect , which uses mounted cameras and artificial intelligence to document blight indicators in a given area and share reports and maps with officials empowered to act on the data provided. Co-Founder: Gavin Baum-Blake. Ziscuit , a grocery search engine that provides savings for shoppers and high-value traffic for its retail partners, helping to reduce food insecurity by increasing the accessibility and affordability of good food. Founder: Mark Peterson. Bronze Valley is a nonprofit, 501(c)4 community development financial institution ( CDFI ). It is the only CDFI in Alabama focused on venture capital investing.