- KYCombinator
- Posts
- Your Weekly KYCombinator Digest - VC
Your Weekly KYCombinator Digest - VC
Patrick Henshaw stops by, and HackKentucky in 30 days.
Dan Ross-Li
January 21, 2025
Hello Fellow Pioneers!
Render Capital & Shappi
“““At Shappi we are thrilled to announce that we’ve successfully raised $1.7M in new capital, led by Render Capital, with the support of LaunchTN.””” - Karla Valdivieso, Founder Shappi, Linkedin Post.
If you’ve been following our newsletter, you’ll know that we’ve featured Brickyard and Shappi multiple times! First was in December 12th, 2024 where we wrote about Brickyard here. Then on December 28th, 2024 about the NYTimes AI Revolution, where Chattanooga and Shappi were both featured, here.
When I saw the Shappi investment announcement led by our neighbor Render Capital I knew we had to get his insights! We’re taking notes here in #louisville! Congrats to Karla @ Shappi, Matt @ Brickyard, Patrick @ Render and everyone assisting on the long road to innovation.
VC’s are motivated by geography...and always will be
More specifically VC’s want to find good deals and those deals have to make sense for the geography they are working within.
Why Render Capital is so bullish on the Midwest / South...Render Capital invests in early-stage, high-growth companies beyond traditional hubs like New York, San Francisco, and Boston. We target transformative ventures in key industries driving the U.S. GDP, many rooted in America’s heartland. By backing exceptional teams and scalable solutions, we aim to disrupt legacy systems, accelerate economic growth, and create lasting impact in underserved regions. We also have the unique advantage of cost of living in Middle of America which means our capital goes further than on the coasts!
The middle of America is often overlooked in venture funding despite being home to regions that drive some of the largest and most critical industries contributing to the U.S. GDP. At Render Capital, we aim to invest in these high-impact industries, recognizing their significance and untapped potential.
If you want to build a foundational Artificial intelligence company going up against behemoths like OpenAI, xAI, Databricks and Anthropic sure you’ll find talent and capital on the coasts. But if you are building something in the supply chain/logistics, healthcare/health tech, CPG/ecomm, Food & Bev, and Advanced Manufacturing space you better be positioned in Middle America. Not only are customers here but talent and capital are as well.
That’s why one of our latest investments was made into Shappi. Shappi is HQ’d in Chattanooga Tennessee and is square in the heart of what we like to call the “Commerce Corridor" - what is that you might ask? The Commerce Corridor in Middle America refers to a network of key transportation routes, logistics hubs, and economic centers that facilitate trade and commerce across the region. It includes major highways, railways, and waterways, connecting agricultural, industrial, and energy-producing states with domestic and international markets. This corridor is crucial for the flow of goods, contributing significantly to the U.S. economy by leveraging its central location for efficient distribution and manufacturing.
Shappi is the first travelogistics solution for international shipping for the $80B+ cross-border logistics industry empowering Latin American users to receive their international products faster, affordably, and reliably through Verified Travelers.
HackKentucky is 🔥!
Signarama Downtown is an in-kind sponsor! Thank you Maggie Harlow for the poster print.
Thank you Gill for sponsoring dinner on behalf of the Outsider Art Museum!
We still need sponsors for HackKentucky! Sponsor here
We have 30 days to go, and 50 registered hackers….but the push continues, let’s get to 100 participants and make the event great!
What is HackKentucky?
It’s 48 hours of community problem solving. We’re taking any problem and putting talent against it to deliver a tech driven solution. Submit a project here!
Why HackKentucky?
5 of the top 10 Engineering schools are within driving distance of Louisville. Let’s get this talent here!
For more info check out www.hackkentucky.com
Register here
Startups to Watch
If you’re travelling to Louisville let us help you make the most of your trip. Let us know if you need connections, introductions etc…
Story is offering complimentary Startups to Watch Coworking - Tues, Jan 28th, all day @ Story! (and if you're local, you're welcome to join too!). Register here.
Story has phone booths available for meetings, the Founders Room for some quiet space, and the common area if you want to meet and mingle. You can park for free at the parking lot next door at Five Iron. Thank you Natalia Bishop and the whole Story Team! Email Janna Gottbrath of Story if you have more Qs.
Events
Checkout other events here. Submit your event here.
FIRE AND ICE NETWORKING (POSTPONED - New Date) - Sat, Jan 25th, 10am @ Story
Startups to Watch Coworking - Tues, Jan 28th, all day @ Story
KY Inno Startups to Watch - Tues, Jan 28th, 4:30 @ IceHouse
Poker Night - Thurs, Jan 30th, 5pm @ Story
HackKentucky - Fri, Feb 21st, 4pm @ Story
Funding
Looking for $250K in Inventory Funding? CPG founders apply for a chance to win $250,000 in no-cost inventory funding. - Check-out https://www.kickfurther.com/cpgrow-2025-application (Thanks @Rachel!) Deadline Jan 31st
Deep Work Enclave
Our solution to brain drain and unicorns.