Fundrage Founder Maria Underwood. (Fundrage)

Three innovative startups in Birmingham received funding to continue their mission from Innovation Depot’s 2022 Velocity Accelerator program. Keep reading to meet these awesome companies and learn more about the program.

About Innovation Depot

Innovation Depot is the epicenter for technology, startups and entrepreneurs in the Birmingham area. They provide founders with the tools they need to build successful tech-enabled companies.

Their Velocity Accelerator is a 13-week program that provides participants with a $50,000 up front PLUS the potential for grant funding at the end of the program.

This year, six companies pitched to the Velocity Accelerator funding committee for follow-on grant funding. Three of those six companies were selected by the committee to receive funding. We can’t wait to see what these Birmingham companies do with this opportunity!

1. Fundrage

256366053 195562796089188 9128504447707449899 n Innovation Depot's Velocity Accelerator granted $150,000 to these Birmingham startups — Don’t get mad. Get giving. (Fundrage / Facebook)

Fundrage, a Google Chrome extension that empowers timely charitable giving, received $75,000.

Fundrage was founded by local nonprofit leader Maria Underwood. She created the extension to enables users to donate to relevant nonprofits in response to current events they see as they read the news.

Here’s how it works: See something that makes you want to take action? Click the Fundrage icon on your screen and you’ll be directed to donate to a nonprofit that works on that issue. Boom!

2. Sportsy

IMG 7555 edited Innovation Depot's Velocity Accelerator granted $150,000 to these Birmingham startups — A sneak peak at what’s inside the Sportsy app. (Sportsy App)

Sportsy, a soccer training app, received $50,000.

The app provides access to hundreds of soccer training videos and challenges featuring pro athletes from the MLS, USL & other professional leagues.

Sportsy partners with trainers and provides them with tools to create and deliver training experiences at scale. With these funds, Sportsy aims to continue building its team as well as marketing its product and continuing to grow.

3. Ziscuit

285406873 592042802341252 5470439192176357623 n Innovation Depot's Velocity Accelerator granted $150,000 to these Birmingham startups — Making grocery shopping easier and cheaper. (Ziscuit / Facebook)

Ziscuit, a grocery search engine that delivers savings to shoppers and traffic to retailers, received $25,000.

Ziscuit allows shoppers to build their grocery lists based on recipes and shopping preferences, then determine which grocery stores are cheaper for what they need. The funding is extra important for Ziscuit as they are preparing to launch their platform in the Birmingham market within the next month.

Congrats to the recipients of these exciting grants from Innovation Depot’s Velocity Accelerator Program. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for these companies and their founders.

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