Launch Greensboro awarded $10,000 to three North Carolina startups this week in its annual Capital Connects pitch competition.
Hospitality service application F3TCH won $7,500, food manufacturer Without a Trace won $1,500, and lung-focused clinical researcher PulmonIx won $1,000.
Launch Greensboro also awarded its Entrepreneur of the Year award to Tara Darnley, a Greensboro-based serial entrepreneur. Darnley is best known for her baby brand and lifestyle company, Darlyng & Co., which has the first Black-owned baby registry with more than 100 products, and clean beauty brand Peculiar Roots, which has products specifically formulated for locs.
Launch Greensboro, the entrepreneurial arm and initiative of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, has been hosting Capital Connects for more than 20 years to not only highlight local startups but also to connect these startups with potential investors.
The annual pitch competition has seen its share of success stories, with companies such as Guerrilla RF and Fluree meeting some of their investors at the event, said Brent Christensen, president and CEO of the Greensboro Chamber.
“Knowing that the companies that are here, we’re able to take them from idea stage, and we’re able to connect them with the resources that they need,” Christensen said. “We’re able to connect them with mentors and instruction and the things they need to put down deep roots into our community."
A total of 12 companies, hailing from across the Carolinas, competed in Capital Connects on April 13.
Capital Connects is divided into two portions — a two-minute pitch competition focusing on pre-seed and seed-level startups; and a six-minute pitch competition focusing on more established companies needing additional capital. An individual winner is awarded a cash prize in each section, and attendees also voted for a fan-favorite winner.
Seven companies presented in the two-minute category, sponsored by Agile City, a Winston-Salem nonprofit ecosystem builder and innovation consultant:
- Without a Trace, a Raleigh startup that manufacturers food and snacks safe from some of the most common food allergies;
- Medherd, a Charlotte-based SaaS startup that helps doctors’ offices and vendors manage their sales process;
- My Relief Wear, a Greenville, South Carolina, startup that produces patent-pending, cold-wear clothing items for people experiencing pain;
- Work-Life Solutions Concierge, a lifestyle management company based in Greensboro and winner of Launch Greensboro’s 2021 Demo Days;
- PulmonIx, a Greensboro-based clinical research group focused on lung diseases;
- Optera, a startup spun off from research at UNC Greensboro that helps beekeepers identify a hive-destroying mite
- Hot Route Analytics, a sports analytics firm founded by a UNC Charlotte student.
Five companies presented in the six-minute category:
- Unbox the Dress, a Winston-Salem company that upcycles wedding dresses into other sentimental garments or items;
- F3TCH, a SaaS startup based in Wilmington that developed an app for hotels to communicate with their guests more effectively;
- ESTAS, a luxury skincare and beauty company fighting the stigma against scars;
- CopyForward, a Winston-Salem-based SaaS startup that allows creators, owners and artists to establish perpetual royalties;
- Doggos Dog Park & Pub, a Greensboro dog park and pub where dogs can play supervised and humans can enjoy drinks and events.
