Northwestern Mutual and the Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin health network this week announced the winners of its Reverse Pitch MKE event.
The two finalists taking home the top prize include Ease Inc., a remote recruiting and freelance talent software platform, and LENA, a personal health assistant for seniors, powered through AI.
As part of the prize, each startup will receive a seed investment of up to $90,0000, a $10,000 cash prize, co-locating space, and up to $2,000 in legal fees provided by Godfrey & Khan S.C.
A third startup, TimeSlips, a coaching and training business that provides online tools to senior caregivers, will also receive a $10,000 cash prize.
All of the companies will also gain access to corporate mentors and networks to help take their emerging businesses to the next stage, the joint release added.
This year’s event was focused on solving three business challenges — one presented by Northwestern Mutual — and two presented by Froedtert and the Medical College, including:
- Attracting diverse talent to the region
- Addressing the impact of social isolation and loneliness on health
- Supporting individuals with challenges that inhibit engagement with digital health services
The two companies presented the challenges to the entrepreneurs at the Reverse Pitch MKE event in November. In February, the finalists presented their solutions to the judging panelists.
Northwestern Mutual says it selected Ease Inc. as its awardee because the startup’s technology and processes reduce hiring bias through its AI-enabled method of attracting, vetting, and upskilling overlooked talent.
“They have developed a very innovative platform that can help companies across all industries create a more diverse and inclusive workforce,” said Crig Schedler, Cream City Venture Capital managing direct, Northwestern Mutual. “We look forward to working with them and helping their company grow.”
Froedtert and the Medical College said they chose LENA and TimeSlips as winners because both companies focused on the senior population, which has been deeply impacted by the pandemic.
“We believe that the innovative ideas of these companies combined with the strength of the health network will be able to impact both of these challenges for our community,” said Mike Anderes, chief digital officer for Froedtert Health and the president of Inception Health.
The virtual pitch competition drew more than 100 innovators to the event, where judges selected 11 teams as finalists. The list of finalists included:
[Northwestern Mutual]
Ease, Inc, founded by Nathan Harris and Saul Sutton
Incluvity, founded by Deepak Baby, Inder Narang, and Sukhvinder Sihra
Investii Inc., founded by Nishant Deshpande and Bryan Stave
The P5 Project, founded by Jenna Atkinson and Tom Krueger
VestedIn, founded by Erin Magennis and Jackie Magennis
[Froedtert & MCW]
Healthiby, founded by Mary Beth Snodgrass and Tristan Harzell
LENA, founded by Alex Harb
Like | Minded, founded by Jeremy Fojut, Ben Juarez, Vinny Moloney, and Seren Mireles
Loopwell’s doLoo, founded by Ingrid Hicks and Nikhil Zaveri
TimeSlips, founded by Anne Basting
Upside Health, founded by Rachel Trobman and Jason Trobman
The Reverse Pitch MKE event aims to expand the diversity of the entrepreneurial and startup community in the region by connecting innovators with the resources needed to grow their businesses in Wisconsin. The event was supported in part by the Milwaukee Tech Hub Coalition.
