5 Flywheel Alumni Recognized at Inaugural StartupCincy Awards

Celebrating Flywheel Founders at the 2026 StartupCincy Awards

We’re proud to celebrate a major milestone for the Flywheel community.

At the StartupCincy Awards on April 30, five Flywheel alumni were recognized for their innovation, impact, and leadership in the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. These awards highlight some of the most promising and purpose-driven ventures in Greater Cincinnati—and this year, Flywheel founders showed up in a big way.

Last Mile Food Rescue was named the winner of the Social Impact Award, a well-deserved recognition of their work to reduce food waste and fight food insecurity through logistics and technology. Their model continues to demonstrate how mission-driven innovation can create meaningful, scalable change.

We’re also thrilled to celebrate four additional Flywheel founders who were named finalists:

  • Empower Group (Social Impact Finalist)

  • Brick Gardens (Social Impact Finalist)

  • Sunflower Fuels (Social Impact Finalist)

  • CinDependent (Creative Culture Driver Finalist)

Each of these organizations is tackling important challenges—whether through community-centered workforce development, sustainable agriculture, clean energy solutions, or strengthening Cincinnati’s creative economy. Being named a finalist is a significant accomplishment and a reflection of the hard work, vision, and resilience behind each venture.

These recognitions are more than awards—they are signals of momentum. They highlight the growing influence of founders who are building businesses not just for profit, but for purpose.

At Flywheel, we are honored to support these founders along their journeys. Watching them grow, adapt, and lead is exactly why we do this work.

To all five founders: congratulations on this outstanding achievement. We can’t wait to see what’s next.

Donna Zaring