Arch Grants Class of 2014 Moves into T-REX

The startup family in the Lammert Building continues to grow as Arch Grants’ 2014 cohort of entrepreneurs and businesses moves in to the fourth floor of T-REX.

Arch Grants’ fundraising efforts yielded 20 grants of $50,000, and this year’s grant recipients went through three rounds of applications. Arch Grants enlisted nearly 100 judges to help evaluate the hopeful crop of entrepreneurs; the applications are getting more competitive every year since the first class applied in 2012. Now that the nail-biting is over, this year’s winners are getting settled in T-REX’s hitherto-vacant fourth floor space – and getting down to business.

Artifox in their new digs.
Artifox in their new digs.
Seating in front of a conference room that's just waiting to hear some pitches...
Seating in front of a conference room that’s just waiting to hear some pitches…

Arch Grants assisted in the development of the space to accommodate the incoming class. “We were and will continue to be involved with managing the space,” Arch Grants’ Director of Entrepreneurship Ben Burke says, including its design and decoration and the purchase of its equipment. “We are happy to bring in another​ cohort of talented entrepreneurs to T-REX.  Being in proximity to so many entrepreneurs is very important, and T-REX provides the space to have that high-density environment.”

Check out the companies of Arch Grants’ Class of 2014:

Artifox (Missouri): A furniture company devoted to merging quality craftsmanship with the constantly changing needs of the modern mobile professional.

BetaVersity (Missouri): Promotes the maker movement by offering its BetaBox; a custom prototyping pod built inside of a shipping container.

(Blueline Security Solutions will not be located in T-REx.) The First Line facial recognition system software provides an affordable option for schools, businesses, and law enforcement to be able recognize a threat, whether it be a workplace or school violence threat, a thief, fraudulent prescription violator, and many other applications.

Cast (Missouri): A dedicated mobile app that allows publishers and consumers to quickly understand social opinion by creating public or private polls and observing structured response data in real time.

CoMo Medical (Missouri): A medical device and pharmaceutical start-up offering solutions to unmet needs in healthcare.

Dabble (California): Provides subscribers an easy way to teach or take specialty classes on a wide-range of subjects.

Ephecom (Massachusetts): An e-commerce marketplace that gives the end-user two things: steep discounts on the products that they love, and sixty seconds to decide whether to buy or pass.

FreightGrid (Missouri): A web application that manages the entire LTL (less than truckload) shipping process, saving time and money for customers.

(greetabl will be remaining in its place on T-REx’s 6th floor!) At its most basic level, greetabl is a greeting card that quickly folds into an adorable gift box allowing you to wrap gift cards, jewelry, treats, and more with a personal message. What it really is, though, is an experience–a fun and memorable way to connect with the important people in your life.

Hyde (Wisconsin): Manufactures the sporting equipment of the future, starting with the Wingman, a first of its kind life vest allowing swimmers to rescue themselves.

Jolt (Massachusetts): Makes wearable head impact sensors for youth athletes.

(Less Annoying CRM will keep their spot on the 7th floor of T-REx!) Less Annoying CRM is a customer relationship manager (CRM) designed specifically for the small business market. 

LIFEPACK (Cali, Colombia): Produces and sells plates made of natural fibers (pineapple crown) and seeds that can germinate into a plant.

Made for Freedom (Missouri): Driving a social entrepreneurial mission to establish a global, online, retail/wholesale clothing business while providing dignified employment for survivors of sex trafficking.

MeterGenius (Illinois): A free website that provides tools and incentives for homeowners to save money on their electricity bill.

Nanopore Diagnostics (Missouri):  Enables physicians to make informed antibiotic decisions during their initial examination of a patient.

Prattle Analytics (Massachusetts): Utilizes proprietary textual analysis methods to provide innovative financial data solutions.

Tallyfy (London, England): Makes critical business processes incredibly user-friendly and visible – in real-time with a friendly layer on top of complex tools and confusing processes.

Tuloko (Minnesota):  A social enterprise focused on driving more business to minority and women owned businesses.

Wondermento (London, England): A digital company that links to your physical world, creating apps that interact with lovingly made connected devices.

The lobby of the fourth floor showcases Arch Grants' past and present grant winners.
The lobby of the fourth floor showcases Arch Grants’ past and present grant winners.

T-REx will host a welcome reception for the new Arch Grants class on Thursday, July 10, from 5 to 7 PM, in the 7th floor Law Library.