Burrito Brands, maker of the Leaf Burrito Year-Round Yard Bag, opened a 5,000-square-foot “Burrito Factory” in Charlotte, N.C., in May 2020.
“Shortly after completely moving the manufacturing of Burritos to Charlotte, we have been ramping up despite the challenges that COVID has thrown us. Fortunately, the grass never stopped growing and we gained full control over our operations,” said Marc Mataya, inventor and CEO.
With the Burrito Factory in production, this gave the creative team the ability to quickly and efficiently act on new product ideas to complement the existing Burrito line of products. The first new product out of the gate was the new Tote Form version, the Burrito’s more portable companion. The new Tote sized tool is built with the exact same materials as the 5-foot and 7-foot Burritos.
Lawnbot has raised $20,000 in preseed funding from Michigan based Conquer Accelerator.
The company is one of five startups to receive funding from the Michigan State University affiliated accelerator. Lawnbot joined its first-ever Grand Rapids cohort and received mentorship remotely for 10 weeks.
Designed to support both newer and established companies, Conquer Accelerator supports selected startups by providing $20,000 in funding, access to 40-plus mentors, access to follow-on funding and other essential resources. The program is hosted and managed by Spartan Innovations, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Michigan State University Foundation.
“Conquer Accelerator presented a significant opportunity for Lawnbot to connect with top early-stage investors and mentors while accelerating the development of the company,” said Lawnbot co-founder Kendall Hines.
In addition to receiving up to $20,000 in seed funding, selected startups receive tailored mentorship from leaders within their respective industries, entrepreneurship training, as well as access to a network of angel and venture investors. Once companies move on from the accelerator, they become part of Red Cedar Ventures’ investment portfolio where they continue to receive support and guidance.
“We have an outstanding cohort of companies, strong collaboration with the local community and the launch of the Conquer Accelerator Diversity in Entrepreneurship program,” said Jeff Wesley, Red Cedar Ventures executive director.
