“That this nation shall have a new birth of military veteran and spouse entrepreneurs. And that entrepreneurship of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish.”
That quote might sound familiar, except it wasn’t delivered by Lincoln at Gettysburg. Instead, it was rousingly recited by veteran and entrepreneur Joe ‘Hark’ Herold at the inaugural Rocky Mountain Veterans Pitch Competition Monday in Denver.
In celebration of Veterans Day, the Commons on Champa and The Downtown Denver Partnership hosted a pitch competition exclusively for Colorado’s veteran-owned startups. Each of the competing startups were either owned by veterans or veteran’s spouses.
In total, 42 companies applied to the competition, and five were chosen to pitch live for a chance to win $25,000.
You can check out the five startups that pitched at the inaugural Rocky Mountain Veterans Pitch Competition below.
Barn Owl
Growing up on a ranch, Josh Phifer is painstakingly familiar with the methods used to check on remote assets, like water tanks. Typically, it means jumping on the pickup truck or 4-wheeler and manually surveying the property, making sure the tanks are full and the crops or livestock are thriving.
He’s developed Barn Owl as a way to use cameras and smart surveillance to keep a watchful eye on assets, without having to drive the entire property.
Ranch owners are the primary target user and will install the cameras on their own, allowing them to track assets using on a mobile device.
Founder and Air Force veteran Phifer said in certain cases, users can have the software track and tag specific types of deer, differentiate makes and report vehicles entering the property, or ensure water tank levels are sufficient.
“In the military we use all these high-tech tracking and monitoring technologies for assets all over the world. But when I go see my friends in Wyoming or Nebraska, they’re still driving around in pickups and trucks for hours a day, many hours a week. That’s a huge burden on them to monitor and manage their assets," he said.
In the future, Barn Owl will look to expand the product into construction sites and energy sites.
Barn Owl took home first prize at the competition, winning $25,000. Phifer said the company is looking to raise $500,000 in its current funding round.
https://youtu.be/iwrfZh8St4c
Who’s On Tap
When a bartender calls out sick and the backup can’t come in, what do restaurant managers do?
Who’s On Tap is looking to create a seamless way to connect bars in need with qualified bartenders ready to work at a moment’s notice.
Bars can set up a pre-determined profile page with the skills they need, so when they have an opening they can browse qualified candidates. Who’s On Tap aims to match bartenders with specific skills to bars looking for those qualities.
The company has developed a prototype app it has yet to launch, but Who’s On Tap is in discussion with a number of Denver bars.
Who’s On Tap took home second place in the competition, earning a year free membership to Rocky Mountain Ventures Club.
Borsetta
Counterfeit parts are in nearly half of the products you buy online. And if that wasn’t terrifying enough, 15 percent of the parts in the F22 are counterfeit, Scott Preble from Borsetta said.
“Counterfeit is now the largest criminal enterprise in the world,” he said.
Borsetta is a technology startup using nanotechnology and blockchain to fight counterfeit products. Using nanotechnology, companies and consumers can scan their products to ensure all the parts used are authentic, and not counterfeit.
Echo Retractable Stethoscope
As a nurse, Mark Gross found himself with increased back soreness from bending down to use his stethoscope. He was left wondering why the design of the stethoscope hasn’t changed in a century.
“With the medical community having an increase of technology and innovation, why haven’t we changed the 160-year-old stethoscope,” he said.
So, Gross developed the Echo Retractable Stethoscope. The product clips onto medical professionals and extends and retracts as needed, allowing them to comfortably maneuver around patients.
WaterBlocks
When disaster strikes and floodwater fills the streets, emergency managers often turn to jersey barrier or sand bags to divert the water.
Joe Daniluk created WaterBlocks as a new method for floodwater management, as a way to increase efficiency in times of need. The steel reinforced blocks come packed with 400 linear foot per truckload and can be rapidly deployed.
“They’re customizable and they’re versatile, unlike anything else on the market today,” Daniluk said.
