STARTUP FINALISTS
Hilum Capital
Kali Huff
Hilum Capital is an investment platform focused on identifying and presenting exceptional real estate opportunities to clients. The company emphasizes transparency and prioritizes educating and empowering investors through a highly personalized client experience. Hilum Capital is dedicated to making a positive impact on the communities it serves, beyond its clients and development partners.
RECENT MILESTONES
- Among the small minority of women-owned and led investment firms in the U.S.
- The firm has closed two real estate investments since its inception in 2023, with a third set to close in early October 2024
- Awarded the Braintrust Pacesetter Fast Track Award in 2024 for the highest revenue in its first year of business
- Grown its assets under management by 300% in just 18 months
A NOTE FROM THE FOUNDER
“I founded Hilum Capital to bring much-needed transparency to the alternative asset investment management industry. My vision was to create a platform where investors are well-informed and educated about the assets they invest in, challenging the traditional opacity of the sector. By making the investment process clearer and more accessible, I aim to transform how capital is directed into communities, ensuring that investors are empowered and confident in their decisions. As a minority-owned business, I am committed to operating with integrity and providing opportunities for other minorities, ensuring they have a seat at the table, where they may have previously been excluded.” – Kali Huff
Raise Financial
Wesley Belden and Patrick Cason
Raise Financial is revolutionizing stock ownership for young Americans. The company’s monthly membership service allows users to build compounding returns in the stock market, similar to building equity in a home. Raise Financial aims to provide an easy way for individuals to invest and achieve financial stability.
RECENT MILESTONES
- Graduated from Barclay’s Startup Academy
- Reached over 1,000 customers for Raise Education
- Achieved a 1,200-person waiting list for Raise Investment MVP, set to launch in Fall 2024
A NOTE FROM THE FOUNDERS
“I am a former investment analyst turned fintech entrepreneur. After several years as a fund manager at Great American Insurance I realized I wanted to make a difference with innovative financial products and co-founded Raise Financial. Traditional financial products don’t work for young adults like they used to and increased economic pressures make getting ahead nearly impossible. I’m passionate about building new ways for hard working people to get ahead and reach their financial goals. I’m lucky enough to have a small team that’s just as passionate about that as I am and we’re dogged about bringing true innovation to an old industry.” – Wesley Belden
inRev
Jack Genet
InRev focuses on surety bonds, leveraging proprietary tech, data and AI to make underwriting simple, fast, and smart. The company’s streamlined approach has garnered significant attention across various industries from cryptocurrency to renewable energy, with a significant need in construction.
RECENT MILESTONES
- Grown to five full-time employees
- Partnered with 40 insurance agencies, facilitating over $300 million in surety bonds—a figure that has nearly doubled each quarter
- Completed a $3 million dollar raise
GROWTH FINALISTS
Celero Commerce
Kevin Jones
Celero Commerce champions local, small, and medium-sized businesses by offering bundled FinTech solutions, including electronic payments, business management software, and data services. The company empowers these businesses to compete effectively in today’s marketplace, leveling the playing field with larger competitors. Celero Commerce currently supports over 150 financial institutions and 55,000 businesses.
RECENT MILESTONES
- Recognized as the fastest-growing financial services company in Tennessee (INC 500)
- Processed $25 billion in payments volume in 2024, ranking among the top 10 largest non-bank payment processors globally
- Currently serves 55,000 business customers across the U.S. and Canada
- Launched Celero Fusion, a best-in-market solution integrating payments gateway with business management software
A NOTE FROM THE FOUNDER
“I founded Celero Commerce due to a personal mission to empower small and midsize (local) businesses by providing them with superior products, technology, and data that have historically given big-box competitors an edge. Local businesses are the backbone of our economy, offering better economic opportunities to our towns and residents. Our solutions make a meaningful difference in helping these businesses thrive.” – Kevin Jones
Wealth Access, Inc.
David Benskin
Wealth Access drives hyper-personalized banking experiences by unifying financial services’ existing books and records across brokerage, trust and banking. The technology empowers bankers and advisors to seamlessly integrate various wealth data into business and retail banking experiences to better visualize customers’ financial needs, work across business lines to bolster customer loyalty and drive higher revenue. Banks leveraging this innovative software have achieved remarkable returns on investment, surpassing 15 times their initial spend.
RECENT MILESTONES
- Successfully integrated digital banking with NCR, Q2, and Jack Henry in the past 12 months
- Enhanced interactions with Trust accounting and added Cetera Financial Group to its brokerage integrations
- Expanded data and API integration with Salesforce, improving CRM capabilities.
- Achieved a 40% year-over-year core business growth rate
A NOTE FROM THE FOUNDER
Before founding Wealth Access, I spent more than 12 years at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management and found that clients struggled with fragmented account views. To solve this, I developed a comprehensive dashboard that evolved into Wealth Access, which unifies financial records and allows advisors to visualize customers’ financial needs. Wealth management today represents a major untapped revenue opportunity, and I am passionate about helping banks capitalize on this growth potential by providing the best advice.” – David Benskin
Wilmoth Financial
Jessica Wilmoth
Wilmoth Financial provides knowledgeable and straightforward tax preparation, payroll service, financial consulting, CFO services and bookkeeping for small businesses and individuals. Wilmoth Financial serves all of Nashville but especially caters to the LGBTQ community; a community that has found it difficult to get unbiased, progressive financial advice. As members and allies of the LGBTQ community themselves, Wilmoth Financial is uniquely qualified to serve this community.
RECENT MILESTONES
- Reached 300 clients for tax preparation in April, representing a 25% growth over one year
- Celebrated five years in business in October 2024, despite challenges like COVID-19 and significant changes to tax laws
- Achieved a 61% revenue growth in the first six months of 2024
A NOTE FROM THE FOUNDER
“I started Wilmoth Financial so that I could provide a place for clients to get more personalized attention; to have an advisor they could get in touch with and that would sit down with them and explain things to them in an easy-to-understand way. I wanted to offer all of this at an affordable rate. I also wanted to be an employer that provided a true work life balance along with excellent pay.” – Jessica Wilmoth
To see other 2024 finalists, visit our NEXT Awards page or browse news.
