11 St. Louis startups recently showcased their innovative products, services and technology to attendees at Demo Day, organized by UMSL Accelerate’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Accelerator, to celebrate growth and attract new customers and investors. The 2022 Cohort members were Butter Love Skin, Pop Pop Hurray, Picky Eaterz, nebula Media Group and Valeria R Creative. 2021 Cohort members were Assembly On Demand, Flipstik, The Fattened Caf, DEMIblue Natural Nails, Heru Urban Farming, and Hire Henry.
Only in its second year, UMSL Accelerate’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Accelerator has already seen significant traction. Akeem Shannon of Flipstik is projected to grow revenues by as much as 1000% within one year of going through the program, and has attracted $725,000 in investment out of a $1.2 million goal. Flipstik is currently available in 328 Target stores and wil launch in 136 AT&T stores and 578 Pilot/Flying J Travel Centers over the summer. Shannon is also working on three new products and moving 100% of promotional production to St. Louis.
DEMIblue Natural Nails hit $1 million in revenue. Picky Eaterz and Nebula are operating on a wait list for new customers, and Pop Pop Hurray will expand to include new locations in 2022.
