Pure Pitch Rally has revealed the eight entrepreneurs who will pitch their startups during the Oct. 23 competition at Burns & McDonnell’s Kansas City headquarters.
The entrepreneurs will pitch to about 100 investors known as “land sharks,” who will award at least $1,000 to the startup of their choice. The entrepreneurs also will gain access to five boot camps geared toward helping their startups thrive.
This year’s eight fit a theme: Pure Pitch Rally is now in its eighth year, and the competition is leaning into the phrase, “Eight is great.”
“Eight years into building this platform, we know that we’ve created something truly special: a one-of-a-kind ecosystem integrating funding, mentorship and a tailored startup curriculum that has been proven to help tech startups grow, scale and thrive,” Pure Pitch Rally founder Karen Fenaroli said in a release. “It’s a game changer for not only our pitchers, but also the greater Kansas City community.”
Past competitors have secured follow-on funding and spots in startup accelerators, including Stenovate, Bodify, Veeper and PMI Rate Pro. Both PMI Rate Pro and Bodify also became fellows in Pipeline Entrepreneurs, a yearlong business development program that targets high-performing entrepreneurs and provides workshops, mentorship and networking among Pipeline members.
This year’s competitors are:
Jonathan Ruiz — EB Systems uses mobile apps, proximity-based sensors and wearable Bluetooth devices to create real-time location and reporting systems to help cities, businesses and other organizations change the way they manage and engage with crowds.
Ashley McClellan — MedCurate uses white-label technology and expertise to help health care providers and organizations maximize the gig economy and develop the workforce of the future.
Jonathan Gregory — EzBizPortal is a marketplace and integrated operations platform that streamlines and automates processes between medical facilities and equipment vendors, helping health care providers prioritize patient care.
Jim Atwater — InReturn Strategies provides tools to help companies simplify how they capture information so they can make informed, strategic decisions on how to engage underserved communities through products, services and jobs.
Matt Williams — Noonan uses cutting-edge artificial intelligence in its mobile app to give golfers precision club and aim recommendations.
Craig Mason — Raise Healthcare Innovation integrates with communication tools to analyze health care conversations in real time, prompting professionals to detect mental health conditions and deliver support sooner.
Topher Enneking — STATSdraft is a gaming app that uses analytics to help users build teams based on strategies that create a winning culture while deepening their understanding of and relationship with sports.
Bart Patenaude — Creative Technology Concepts developed an adhesive patch that closes the skin with the precision of stitches and the speed of staples, but without the needles or pain.
