After 15 semifinalists pitched in downtown Buffalo this morning, only eight will move on to the 43North Finals.
Each semi-finalist did a five-minute pitch and seven-minute Q&A in front of a few dozen judges at Seneca One Tower. They’re competing for a spot in the 43North Finals, which will take place 6 p.m. Oct. 12 at Shea’s Performing Arts Center.
What’s up for grabs? Five $1 million awards, as well as a $25,000 People’s Choice award, in exchange for the winning startups moving their headquarters to Buffalo for a year and 43North getting a 5% stake in the companies.
Since it was founded in 2014, 43North, a largely state-funded accelerator and incubator, has committed to pumping $40 million into 64 startups. This year’s pitch contest finals will be 43North’s ninth competition.
These eight finalists will compete live tomorrow night at 43North Finals:
- 4T2 Sensors, based in Birmingham, United Kingdom, specializes in advanced sensor technology for industrial applications. The business’ technology provides control, monitoring and optimization of clean-in-place processes.
- Guidesly, based in Topsfield, Massachusetts, is a vertical software-as-a-service platform that gives the outdoor recreational guide marketplace a consumer marketplace.
- KAV, based in Redwood City, California, creates custom helmets designed to reduce brain injuries and save lives.
- Kredit Academy, based in Miami, Florida, is a comprehensive financial literacy platform that provides white-label, credit-based solutions that aim to empower customers – particularly young adults and teens – with information and tools to build sound credit. The platform also gives financial institutions a way to engage and grow.
- Afterlife (FKA Peat), based in Brooklyn, is creating a network of circular mushroom farms that decarbonize the planet by growing fungi to decompose food waste and transforming the by-product into value-added products.
- REES (Respect, Educate, Empower Survivors), based in Winnipeg, Canada, is an online platform for reporting discrimination and harassment that can be adapted for an individual industry or sector.
- Stepwise, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, aims to make home electrification, specifically for EV charger and heat pump installations, cost effective and to future-proof the electric grid.
- StoreCash, based in San Jose, California, created a mobile payment solution for users to pay easily and cheaply through QR codes and earn maximum cashback at stores.
