Q&A With The Render Competition Winners – Resolv

Last fall, we announced the eight winners of the inaugural Render Competition. Each startup received a $100,000 investment to scale their solution within and beyond the Greater Louisville region. Now, we’re catching up with feach of the winning founders to hear about their Competition experience, including lessons learned and advice to future applicants, as well as getting an update from the company about what’s ahead.

Today, we’re sharing Resolv’s journey. Read on to hear from CEO and founder, Lydia Henshaw.
Resolv is working to provide teen girls with mental health support. Their platform connects girls with certified peer mentors, positive resources, and goal-setting strategies to help them become more resilient and more confident. To learn more, you can check out their video pitch here.

Why did you decide to apply for Render Competition? 
We decided to apply for Render Competition because of the opportunity to access capital to strengthen our business and continue to grow. The competition happened right in our backyard and it was a valuable opportunity for us to grow through the support of the local investment.

What was something you learned from the application process?
I learned how to share our story in a meaningful way.

What did you take away from your interactions with the judges?
I took away ways to think differently about our value proposition and our business model. I also found that the judges were very thoughtful in their questions – it demonstrated their knowledge and experience in their own business journeys and also their care for startups in this ecosystem.

What’s your favorite part about Louisville’s startup ecosystem?
My favorite part about the Louisville startup ecosystem is the easy access to experienced advisors and their willingness to spend time answering questions, no matter how large or small the questions are.

How are you using the $100k and how will it help you scale your startup? 
We are using the $100k for product enhancements and sales. Our product enhancements include things like achieving HIPAA compliance and adding more behavioral health screening assessments into the app. This investment is helping us scale across the Midwest into healthcare systems.

What advice would you give to a company applying for the next round of Render Competition? 
Be thoughtful about your responses, invest the time in filling out your application with excellence, and come to each conversation with an open mind – take the judges’ questions as opportunities for you to strengthen your business and consider gaps that you may not have considered as you scale. 

Would the current efforts of your business look different today if you did not receive this funding? If so, how?
Yes, I would be spending less time on sales and more time on fundraising still 🙂 

What role do you see your startup playing in the regional economy over the next 5 years? 
Over the next 5 years, we see Moxie Girl emerging as the leading and trusted source of a service continuum for behavioral health for teenage girls and young women. We will continue to improve access to behavioral health support and reduce the stigma of receiving care.

What’s next for your company in 2021
We are onboarding a much greater number of peer supporters across the US, and we will be providing users with resources directly within the application. We’re also starting to provide users with health/wellness assessments so they can understand their own mental health and resources to improve. We are actively hiring peer supporters – so please check out our website for more information.

What inspires you to continue to grow and push forward your business every day? 
The emails and messages I receive from parents, girls and mentors who join Resolv. When I read messages from girls who are hurting and in need of support, I’m fired up even more to improve the ways in which we build a world where personalized care is available in the palm of their hand with just a few clicks of a button. When I read messages from parents seeking help and support for their daughters, I am motivated to keep going, even though it’s a difficult journey. When I read messages from peer supporters on why they want to join as a mentor/peer supporter, I am inspired to create an environment where they can be successful and share their story, share their experiences to help others. There is a vast need out there — millions of teen girls and young women – and we’ve got to keep forging through to help them find more moxie so they can bring their full selves into the world. 

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