The Illinois Small Business Development Center and Turner Center for Entrepreneurship at Bradley University announce the first phase of the inaugural business accelerator program, Brave Launch, is a success. Many exciting and innovative business ideas were submitted and 10 have been selected to participate in the inaugural program.
Brave Launch is the first program of its kind in Central Illinois, designed to assist entrepreneurs accelerate their business through innovative curriculum and real world interaction. Applicants came from a variety of backgrounds – startups, small businesses, corporate innovation teams, Bradley University students and faculty. The program entails seven weeks of classroom activity and real world business model development.
The following teams were selected and will make their final pitch on November 10 at a public event.
ALM Productions (PopXFit) – Peoria, IL.
Fitness focused company transforming the lives of individuals by redefining exercise as fun, affordable, convenient, and accessible.
Eat & Evolve – East Peoria, IL.
A nutrition-focused company that is the first and only healthy meal delivery service in the Peoria area delivering freshness, quality and convenience to achieve continuous customer satisfaction.
Golf Score Changer – Clinton, IL.
An innovative company working to help improve the game of golf with simple solutions for any level golfer.
Natural Fiber Welding – Peoria, IL.
Technology company focused on the production and manufacture of sustainable materials that outperform petroleum-based analogues for applications ranging from building materials to wearable electronics.
Notionovus™ – Morton, IL.
Technology company building a software platform for democratizing middleware. It is expected to drastically reduce information technology costs.
OSF Healthcare- Peoria, IL
Multi-disciplinary team from OSF Healthcare developing a user-friendly medical device capable of providing a near real-time quantitative measure of strength in patients suffering from ALS, while also being suitable for providing telehealth consults to rural physicians.
SAE – Peoria, IL.
A magazine publishing company that is shaping and equipping the minds of the future generation, by strategically promoting biblical principles and influencing readers to pursue, discover and fulfill their purpose.
The Oakford Group – Peoria, IL.
Founded by licensed physical therapists, The Oakford Group, LLC, has created a home exercise product designed to provide quality manual therapy treatment techniques that were once only available in the therapy clinic.
The Pizza Peel – Lacon, IL.
A family-owned pizza restaurant with great customer focus and regional recognition, offering dine-in, carry-out and delivery of hand crafted, fresh pizzas.
Weightmaster – Peoria, IL.
Fitness focused team developing an innovative device that allows gym users to quickly break through plateaus and increase strength using a wide variety of gym equipment. The system will enable gyms to increase their member retention and draw in new members.
The Brave Launch platinum sponsor is OSF. For more information, see http://bradley.edu/bravelaunch.
