INVANTI Showcase - What We've Learned and What's Next

Cohort 1 is coming to an end! But that means it’s also just the beginning of some new and exciting South Bend-based startups.

Please join us at the LaSalle Hotel for hors d'oeuvres, results and reflections from Cohort 1, and a glimpse of what is next for INVANTI.

We launched our inaugural cohort with the mission of activating talented people to discover and pursue new venture opportunities at the intersection of important problems and big markets.

We recruited five exceptional individuals into the cohort, most of whom relocated to South Bend for this opportunity. They came with backgrounds in investment banking, early-stage startups, innovation consulting, and nonprofit leadership. Since September, they have transformed from entrepreneurial talent into founders, building startups that are tackling problems that matter.

After digging deep into research on the financial health of Americans and learning from fintech startups, financial institutions, community leaders, and, most importantly, people’s stories, four early-stage ventures have emerged:

• Hurry Home provides alternative financing for homes valued at $50,000 or less, creating opportunities for wealth creation for low-to-moderate income families.

• Bedrock creates an environment where people in recovery from addiction are supported and enabled to make decisions that stabilize and improve their financial health.

• Save your Savings rewards people for saving rather than spending by automatically finding and saving users’ money in their everyday shopping, and then storing those extra dollars in a rainy-day account, with more rewards tied to saving more.

• Last Loan enables banks to better support their commercial clients with employee financial health programs.

We have learned that it is possible to activate talented people to build new ventures by giving them the time, space, and network to understand complex problems, generate new ideas, and launch impactful ventures. Please join us and hear from five entrepreneurs that we are excited to watch in the coming months!

We are proud to live and work in a community where, as Mayor Pete says, “talent meets purpose” and we look forward to continueing to collaborate with the exceptional individuals and organizations that are working to make South Bend a place where entrepreneurs are encouraged and supported to work on hard problems and try new things!