gBETA Distillery Labs Accelerator Announces Fourth Cohort
May 4, 2023
PEORIA, Ill. - After receiving more than 30 applications from startups across the Greater Peoria Region, gener8tor, a venture firm and accelerator network based in Madison, WI, selected the five companies to participate in Distillery Labs’ next gBETA cohort. These companies are focused on sustainable fashion, targeted online fundraising, animal health, personal health and wellness and applications for artificial intelligence to improve work and personal lives.
The gBETA Distillery Labs accelerator, which kicked off its fourth program in April, focuses on early-stage companies working in Peoria and surrounding areas. The selected startups are Afterfund, The Farm Sitter, Galacto Corporation, RiseUp Health & Wellness and Foraged Roots Apothecary. See details about the selected companies at the end of this release.
gBETA Distillery Labs is a free seven-week, no-equity accelerator program that provides startup founders with intensive concierge coaching and access to its national network of mentors, customers, corporate partners and investors. The programs are designed to set a path for startups to participate in equity-based accelerator programs and pursue investment opportunities.
Distillery Labs and gener8tor recruited startups locally for the gBETA program in an effort to support homegrown companies. Each of the companies participating in this cohort is in the Greater Peoria region.
OSF HealthCare Innovation Studio Vice President Kip McCoy said, “OSF HealthCare believes supporting local entrepreneurs and innovators is part of our Mission to serve our communities with the greatest care and love. In the third year of this partnership with gener8tor, we’ve been excited by the startups emerging from the gBETA Distillery Labs cohorts and we look forward to seeing the progress of not only these companies but also the startups created by alumni of the program as they continue to mature with the support of gBETA here in the Greater Peoria region.”
gener8tor selected the cohort of five companies from among thirty applicants.
“Our newest cohort was selected from our most competitive applicant pool to date,” said Danielle Scarzello, gBETA Distillery Labs program manager. “This gives us real energy and drive to see the quality of our startup community evolving and improving. I have no doubt that the founders we’re working with can go the distance.”
At the end of the gBETA program, the startup founders will pitch their companies to investors, community partners and the public at a showcase event this summer. More details will be announced at a later date.
Startup companies and founders interested in learning more about gBETA’s programming and resources or applying to a future program are encouraged to visit gener8tor gBETA website.
gBETA Distillery Labs Spring 2023 Cohort
Afterfund increases donor impact while creating sustainable funding for nonprofits. The company provides a donor platform that connects donors to different causes. Donations are invested in a manner consistent with donor values, and the profits from the investment benefit the nonprofit. In beta testing, the company has outperformed its charity partner’s online donations by 4x and done this with a 15% recurring donation rate–in less than one month.
Founder and CEO: Omar Yunus | omar@afterfund.co| afterfund.co
Foraged Roots Apothecary educates people about sustainable fashion through natural dyeing workshops and naturally dyed accessories for purchase at retail.
Founder and CEO: Lily Scalf | lily.foragedrootsapothecary@gmail.com| foragedrootsapothecary.co
Galacto Corporation artificial intelligence systems target accessibility and quality of life for users. We offer a consumer application with advanced and novel features such as voice recognition for wearable AI use. Our subscribers can interact with artificial intelligence in new ways, improving their work and private lives. Galacto Corporation has a working prototype, beta testers, and plans to scale.
Founder and CEO: Daniel Mueller | danieljmueller@outlook.com| https://www.linkedin.com/company/galacto-corp/
Rise Up Health & Wellness provides a holistic proactive wellness experience to help people achieve and sustain a healthier way of life, revolutionizing the health and wellness industry.
Founder and CEO: Mandy Kroll | mandy@riseuphealthandwellness.com riseuphealthwellness.org/
The Farm Sitter is the solution for rural and farm families seeking animal care. Customers and qualified Farm Sitters will connect on FarmSit.com, an online platform facilitating contact, offering payment solutions, and providing education and support services for user and animal well-being.
Founder and CEO: Chris Youngmark | chris@thefarmsitter.com | thefarmsitter.com
About Distillery Labs
Distillery Labs is a 40,000 square foot non-profit entrepreneur and technology innovation center in downtown Peoria, Ill., slated to open in mid-2024. Funded through a public-private partnership consisting of a $10 million State of Illinois grant, a $2 million federal grant, and other public and private institutional support, Distillery Labs is part of a broader Illinois Innovation Network and Discovery Partners Institute initiative across Illinois. This project includes every aspect of growing a world-class organization with the mission of connecting people, ideas and resources to launch and grow new companies in Greater Peoria. Further, Distillery Labs is expected to galvanize the Peoria technology, startup and corporate innovation community and help set Peoria on a path to becoming a sought-after destination for entrepreneurs.
About gener8tor
gener8tor is a global venture firm and accelerator network that supports startups, workers, employers, artists and musicians across race, place and gender. gener8tor partners with companies, governments, universities and nonprofits to operate programs and conferences in more than 41 communities across 22 states and two countries. Fast Company named gener8tor one of the Best Workplaces for Innovators in 2021 and 2022. The International Trade Council recognized gener8tor as the Global Venture Capital Firm of the Year in 2022.
About gBETA
gBETA is a non-equity accelerator that facilitates the growth of early-stage companies through a network-driven program. This accelerator supports five startups per cohort and requires no fees for startups and takes no equity. Since launching in 2015, gBETA accelerator alumni have raised more than $601M in capital and created more than 3,900+ jobs across the U.S. and Canada.