Pure Pitch Rally has revealed its tech startup lineup for its 2021 pitch competition.
The eight startups will compete Oct. 18 in Kansas City, vying for nondilutive cash funding from more than 100 investors known as “land sharks,” each of whom gives at least $1,000 to a startup of their choice. The competition also includes in-kind tech services and access to a variety of boot camps covering topics such as branding and pitching. As much as $1 million in cash and resources will be awarded.
This year, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation joins Pure Pitch Rally’s group of presenting sponsors.
“The addition of the Kauffman Foundation as a supporter elevates the stature of Pure Pitch Rally,” Karen Fenaroli, Pure Pitch Rally founder and CEO of Fenaroli & Associates, said in a release. “This is more than an event — it’s a platform focused on social impact investing that connects the city’s most successful entrepreneurs, corporate citizens and civic ecosystems. Aligning with the foundation’s goals, we are eliminating hurdles to create more startups, which in turn create jobs and solidify the Kansas City region’s reputation as a Midwestern magnet for talent.”
To further align with the foundation’s focus on promoting education around entrepreneurship, Pure Pitch Rally is collaborating with the Blue Valley CAPS program. In spring 2022, a Pure Pitch Rally startup will participate in an in-person learning event and share a business challenge. Students from Kansas and Missouri will be tasked with adopting an entrepreneurial mindset and brainstorming solutions.
This year’s Pure Pitch Rally startups are:
- Azella Advisor — provides customer relationship management and marketing automation capabilities for hybrid, independent and breakaway financial advisors
- Crib Coaching — uses artificial intelligence to gamify parental education and build parenting confidence
- MD MatchUp — a consumer acquisition and patient retention software that uses a proprietary algorithm to match patients with a provider that best meets their health needs and interests
- SeeInMe — allows family members to share a personality profile of a loved one, such as a nonverbal child, to ensure he or she receives person-centered care
- Tenfold Security — offers automated cloud security services and software to address the growing cybersecurity personnel deficit and close the knowledge gap
- Veeper Inc. — a Shopify app that tracks a customer’s spending habits over time and uses an algorithm to nudge shoppers to add more items to their cart to see their discount increase. The most loyal shoppers get rewarded the most.
- Venboo — helps small businesses find and book events that match their needs, as well as track event-related expenses
- Vetelligence — aims to create a more diverse hiring environment for employers by using data and artificial intelligence to build relationships with the military community
