Cortado Ventures Doubleshot Newsletter: October 2025

by | Oct 15, 2025 | Media, Newsletters

BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front)

We invested in Arkansas based Sober Sidekick, a platform transforming recovery journeys through accountability and community. We also gathered founders and investors in Bentonville for our latest Funder Founder Dinner, continuing to build authentic connections across the Midcontinent. Joy Akande authors our next installment of the NextGen Insights Blog series, and applications remain open through October 23 for our next Cortado Ventures Internship Cohort. Across our portfolio, companies in health, energy, and advanced manufacturing achieved major milestones, underscoring the strength of innovation across the region. Plus, explore our Ecosystem Builder Highlight featuring TechFW, open portfolio company roles, and upcoming events driving the Midcontinent forward.

Newsletter Elements

  • Cortado News
    • New Investment: Sober Sidekick
    • Bentonville’s Funder Founder Dinner Recap
    • NextGen Insights Blog by Joy Akande
    • Now Accepting 2026-2027 Internship Applications
  • Portco News
    • Portco Highlight: Motive
    • Portcos In The News
      • Apricot Health
      • Myri Health
      • RecuroHealth
      • Lumata Health
      • AI Driller
      • Senslytics
      • Sway Medical
      • Exum Instruments
      • Boddle Learning
      • Ardley
    • Portco Jobs
  • Ecosystem News & Events
    • Builder Highlight: TechFW
    • Upcoming Events

Cortado News

New Investment: Sober Sidekick

 

We recently invested in Sober Sidekick, an Arkansas-based health-tech company transforming addiction recovery through peer-to-peer support. Founded in 2019 by Chris Thompson, the app has grown into the world’s largest virtual recovery community. By combining community engagement with data insights, Sober Sidekick helps healthcare organizations predict and prevent relapse while reducing care costs.

Sober Sidekick is a mission-driven team with deep regional ties and proven traction. Their scalable B2B model and personal commitment to improving lives align closely with our focus on technology that drives meaningful impact.

Read more about our investment here.

Funder Founder Dinner – Bentonville, AR

Our recent Funder Founder Dinner at River Grille in Bentonville, AR brought together a small group of investors and founders for an evening of meaningful connections and idea sharing. These dinners create a space where dialogue flows naturally, relationships form, and the best ideas often surface around the table.

A special thank you to our sponsors, Smith Hurst, PLC, FinStrat Management, and Startup NWA, for making the evening possible.

Join our mailing list to get updates and be among the first to hear about our next Funder Founder Dinner.

NextGen Insights: How Startup Programs Fuel Founders

In Joy Akande’s latest piece, Accelerating Success: How Startup Programs Fuel Founders,” she explored both incubator and accelerator programs, and how finding the right one can contribute to a startup’s success.

Subscribe to our Medium page, Cortado Ventures Insights, to read Joy’s full article. Stay on the lookout for the last blog in our series from Elianna Huang, read last month’s blog from Raeed Zainuddin, and catch up on past blogs.

Read Joy’s full blog post here.

Now Accepting Applications: Cortado Ventures Internship Program

Cortado Ventures is now accepting applications for our Summer 2026 – Summer 2027 Internship Program. This paid, in-person opportunity gives students and recent graduates the chance to gain hands-on experience in venture capital while working alongside startups and industry leaders.

Internship tracks include:

  • Data Analytics – dashboards, metrics, research, and reporting
  • Investment – sourcing, diligence, market analysis, and portfolio support
  • Marketing & Events – content creation, event production, and community engagement

Applications close Thursday, October 23, 2025 at 12:00 PM CT.
Apply here → Apply for the internship now!

 

 

Portco News

Portco Highlight: Motive

This month, we are spotlighting Motive, a software development company that works with dealerships to build websites that simplify the buying process for customers in pursuit of a vehicle. Currently, the company is a Certified Website Provider for several auto brands:

Follow Motive to stay up to date on all their progress.

Portcos In The News

Apricot Health Accelerates Momentum with Series A Backing and Industry Recognition

Our portfolio company Apricot, the AI-native documentation platform transforming post-acute care, announced its Series A funding round led by global software investor Insight Partners, marking Insight’s first investment in an Oklahoma-based startup. This milestone is a powerful validation of Cortado Ventures’ thesis that world-class innovation can thrive in the Midcontinent.

With Insight’s backing, Apricot is expanding its team, accelerating product innovation, and scaling its go-to-market efforts, all to advance its mission of freeing clinicians from documentation so they can focus on patient care. The company also achieved SOC 2 Type I compliance, was featured in Home Health Care News’ “Leaders on Leaders” series, and highlighted in the Home Care Innovation Forum for its leadership in AI-driven home health technology.

Read more here.

Myri Health Recognized for Leadership in Women’s and Maternal Health

Myri Health was honored in the Rock Health’s Top 50 in Digital Health program, selected as a 2025 Clinton Global Initiative Greenhouse Fellow, and featured at WHX 2025 for its innovation in equitable maternal care. Led by Dr. Pinkey Patel, Myri’s AI-powered platform delivers personalized insights and coordinated support for mothers through pregnancy and postpartum.

Read more about Myri Health’s recognition below.

Myri Health CEO Named Rock Health Equity Advocate
Myri Health named Clinton Global Initiative Greenhouse Fellow
Myri Health featured on HIMSSTV at WHX 2025

Recuro Health Honored as Top Leader in Virtual Care

Recuro Health earned recognition as one of TIME’s Top HealthTech Companies of 2025, underscoring its leadership in virtual care and digital health innovation. With industry-leading patient satisfaction, rapid urgent care response times, and measurable client savings, Recuro continues redefining accessibility and efficiency in healthcare delivery.


Read more about Recuro Health’s recognition here.

Lumata Health Data Shows Success in Continuous Care Model

Lumata Health published results demonstrating how its Continuous Care Model significantly enhances patient adherence and retention for sight-saving treatments. By addressing barriers to care, Lumata is driving meaningful improvements in outcomes for patients with chronic eye disease.

Read the full story on Lumata Health’s findings here.

AI Driller Named ‘Most Promising Company’ and Featured on ABC News

AI Driller was recognized as the “Most Promising Company” at the Rice Alliance Energy Tech Venture Forum for its advancements in real-time drilling analytics. The company also gained national visibility when COO Richard Zamora was featured on ABC News, showcasing its growing impact in energy technology innovation.

Read more about AI Driller’s recognition below.
AI Driller Named “Most Promising Company”
AI Driller COO Richard Zamora Reflects on ABC News

Senslytics Awarded Phase II SBIR Grant

Senslytics received a Phase II SBIR grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to expand its CorroX corrosion simulation software, powered by CausX AI. In partnership with Blade Energy, the company continues advancing predictive pipeline integrity solutions that enhance safety and operational efficiency.

Read more about Senslytics’ progress here.

Sway Medical Integrates with Teamworks Performance

Sway Medical has officially integrated with Teamworks Performance, a leading platform for athlete wellness and performance. The partnership makes Sway’s mobile concussion and cognitive testing tools more accessible to athletic organizations, expanding its footprint in sports technology and athlete health.

Read more about Sway’s integration here.

EXUM Instruments Expands Global Reach

EXUM Instruments announced new distribution partnerships with Sens Representações Comerciais LTDA, Brazil, WooWon Technology, South Korea, and PT Lab Sistematika, Indonesia, expanding access to its Massbox® LALI-TOF-MS technology worldwide. This growth strengthens EXUM’s presence in geoscience, metals, and materials analysis while ensuring localized support for customers globally.

Read more about EXUM Instruments’ expansions below:
EXUM Instruments partners with SENS Representações Comerciais LTDA
EXUM Instruments Partners with WooWon Technology
Exum Instruments Partners with PT Lab Sistematika Indonesia

Boddle Learning Keeps Winning: Forbes & Common Sense Privacy Seal

Boddle Co-founder Edna Martinson has joined Forbes as a contributor, where she is sharing insights on innovation, edtech, and the future of play and learning. Topics that reflect Boddle’s mission to make education both fun and impactful for kids everywhere. Her first article, “The Next Frontier in Child Safety: Rethinking Online Gaming for Kids,” explores how safe online spaces can still foster creativity and enjoyment, while her second piece, “Raising AI-Native Kids: Creativity, Literacy, and Boundaries at Home,” examines how families can help children navigate technology responsibly. Alongside this exciting milestone, Boddle Learning recently earned the Common Sense Privacy Seal, one of the highest standards of trust in education technology, affirming the company’s dedication to protecting student data while delivering engaging, secure learning experiences for classrooms nationwide.

Read more about Boddle’s recognition below.
Edna Martinson officially Forbes Contributor
Boddle Learning awarded Common Sense Privacy Seal

Ardley Launches OneLink

Ardley introduced OneLink, a universal borrower gateway that simplifies lead capture and improves conversions across lending platforms. By unifying borrower types into a single, mobile-friendly flow, OneLink reduces friction, personalizes offers, and provides lenders with actionable performance insights.

Read more about Ardley’s launch here.

Portco Jobs

Our portfolio companies are growing. Explore open roles across sectors from engineering and sales to data science and operations.

Ecosystem News & Events

Builder Highlight: TechFW

TechFW is a Fort Worth based incubator and accelerator that has contributed to the economic growth in Texas for nearly 30 years. Over 200 companies have grown through their program with $3.2 billion in exit dollars for their companies. They use their resources to pour into the success of startups, turning them into scalable businesses and leaving them with 100% equity.

TechFW offers three programs: ThinkLab, SmartStart, and FastForward. Each of which are designed to support companies at various stages of their startup process, from the ideation stage to the well-established stage. The organization also provides startups with experienced coaches, mentors, and entrepreneurs to guide them through their journey.

Read More

Ecosystem Events