ELON, N.C. – Elon University women's tennis alumna Taylor Casey '16 and her Raleigh-based company Kahmino have received one of just six spring 2025 NC IDEA Seed grants, a $50,000 award drawn from more than 120 statewide applicants.

Casey's startup Kahmino helps home buyers find a perfect neighborhood match. After having customers complete an informational survey on lifestyle and home preferences, Kahmino uses AI to yield neighborhood matches for the buyer.

Last spring, Kahmino also secured $10,000 through the NC IDEA MICRO program.

NC IDEA is a private foundation committed to supporting entrepreneurial ambition and economic empowerment in North Carolina. Since its inception in 2006, the NC IDEA SEED grant program has awarded over $10.3M in non-dilutive grants to 225 innovative companies across the state, with these most recent awards being the 39^th cycle of the program.

Casey was a four-year standout with the Phoenix from 2012-16. She was a four-time ITA Scholar-Athlete and earned spots on the 2013 All-Southern Conference Second Team and 2016 All-CAA Second Team for doubles. She ranks fourth in program history with 52 career dual doubles victories. Casey was also a member of Elon's 2014 Southern Conference championship team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.