Cox Business has announced the finalists for its #GetStartedRI pitch event.
The competition is a local version of the Atlanta-based company's pitch events across the country. In Rhode Island, #GetStarted will celebrate its sixth-annual pitch night on Oct. 4 at WaterFire Arts Center (RSVP here if you haven't already).
It works like this: Interested entrepreneurs apply for the competition. If chosen, they will have the opportunity to share their company and vision in front of a panel of judges during the main event. Winners will receive a prize package worth more than $50,000, with $25,000 in cash. There's also a chance for companies to win an "audience choice" prize of $5,000.
Previous #GetStartedRI champions include companies like Crave Food Systems and The Read Read. As the competition has grown, so has the pool of applicants; this year alone, #GetStartedRI received more than 60 proposals.
Judges include moderator Ken Kraft, senior vice president of marketing and sales operations for Cox Business, a division of Cox; Karl Wadensten, president/CEO of VIBCO Vibrators; Shannon Shallcross, co-founder and CEO of BetaXAnalytics; Chris Bergenheim, Providence Business News web editor; and Matt Tortora, co-founder and CEO of Crave Food Systems.
For Cox, the flagship event represents an opportunity to celebrate and galvanize the local startup community.
"Cox Business is excited to host our sixth annual Get Started Rhode Island pitch competition on Oct. 4," said Ross Nelson, Cox Business vice president, in an email to Rhode Island Inno. "Join us for an exciting night of great networking, free food and drinks and an opportunity to see seven highly diverse companies compete for the grand prize and the audience’s vote. Please register today."
The free competition boasts time for networking (which begins at 5:30 p.m.), food, drinks, a few remarks and finally, the pitching, which will also include an opportunity for the judges to provide insight and feedback to the participants.
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Curious about the finalists? We outline each below, with descriptions provided by Cox Communications.
Cloud Agronomics: "Cloud Agronomics collects and analyzes data to help identify early warning signs of specific diseases, [their] location within the crop, and the projected progression of the disease. This allows the farmer to quarantine specific areas or remove diseased plants to prevent the spread of infection and thus save money."
Medley Genomics: Its "novel data analytics describe the diverse, heterogeneous mixture of tumor cells and their unique molecular underpinnings. These insights are necessary for optimizing targeted and combination therapies, personalized cancer vaccines and immunotherapies to effectively treat the total disease and offer hope for patients." [Read the Rhody Inno profile]
OURgrain: "OURgrain upcycles brewers’ spent grain from the beer brewing process to create an artisan flour that contains more protein, fiber and probiotics than traditional or other artisan flours. OURgrain is also developing other products such as soaps and edible utensils, all while reducing waste in the process."
RacerX: "RacerX helps consumer-durable companies learn exactly who bought their products. The Snap4that app modernizes and improves the out of box ownership experience by replacing the paperwork that comes with these products with a convenient, central portal where consumers can send manuals, how-to videos, warranty and service information.
Reliabra: "ReliaBra provides women the confidence to wear strapless and backless fashions by utilizing a bra shell with reliable, replaceable adhesive inserts, thus providing a clean, affordable alternative to traditional sticky bras."
Rhodeside Revival: "Rhodeside Revival is a sustainable, curbside composting program that takes consumer food scraps away from the home, keeps them out of the landfill and recycles them into compost for the garden, local farms, schools and parks."
TextUp: TextUp empowers social workers with secure, private messaging, auto- mation and collaboration features that help them manage their cases more efficiently and provide consistent communications with their clients, thus fostering stronger relationships. [Read the Rhode Island Inno profile]
Disclosure: Cox Business RI is a founding partner of Rhode Island Inno.
