At KingsCrowd, we want to be part of the democratization of startup investing. We also want to do what we can to uplift underrepresented founders. To those goals, we have put together all the KingsCrowd deals and founder profiles from March 2021 that feature traditionally underrepresented founders.
Deals to Watch
Solar Roadways
With growing demand for new infrastructure and the production of reliable, clean energy, Idaho-based Solar Roadways Incorporated plans to address both challenges at once. This startup has perfected a “Solar Road Panel” constructed with tractioned tempered glass that can serve as a replacement for traditional asphalt and concrete driving and walking surfaces, from roads to playgrounds to helipads. These high-tech panels absorb energy from the sun, providing clean energy and absorbing heat that would otherwise be reflected into the air. Solar Roadways estimates that replacing all paved surfaces in the US with their panels would provide the country with three times the energy it currently uses, all in clean solar power.
Neutral Deals
Lil Bucks
Lil Bucks is a snackfood company that centers around buckwheat. Already a popular superfood in Australia, sprouted buckwheat plays at the intersection of macro trends, offering taste, texture and nutrition. Lil Bucks is just getting started, with two products, Lil Bucks Sprouted Buckwheat Crunch and Clusterbucks Buckwheat Granola Clusters. The company was founded in 2018 by Emily Griffith. Lil Bucks products are available in 100+ retailers across the nation including Whole Foods, Foxtrot, & Erewhon.
Founder Profiles
InnaMed
The team at InnaMed is developing an at-home medical testing device called TeleLab. Using blood collection, cloud computing, and patented electrochemical blood analysis, the technology supports clinical-level medical testing from home. The company was founded by Eshwar Inapuri, Alan Jernigan, and Anup Singh in May 2016 and has raised more than $2 million in previous rounds of financing. InnaMed generated more than $1.4 million in revenue in 2020 through its multi-year collaborations.
Healthy Hip Hop
Healthy Hip Hop wants to utilize hip hop music and culture to encourage academic success and emotional learning in urban children. This edtech platform can be used by parents as well as teachers. It also features a unique function that allows kids to upload and share their own content on the platform. We spoke to co-founder Roy Scott about how his own son helped inspire the creation of Healthy Hip Hop and where the company is headed.
