PITCH PIT AND SHOWCASE

Lifetime Achievement Award: Skip Simms

New Enterprise Forum will be presenting Skip Simms, former Ann Arbor SPARK vice president and Michigan Angel Fund managing member, with a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his substantial contributions to the startup ecosystem in the state of Michigan. This award will be presented by Rick Snyder, Co-Founder and CEO of SensCy and the former Governor of Michigan. Skip and Rick will share stories about their early days of working together at Ann Arbor SPARK and Michigan Angel Fund

Pitch Pit Competition

Selected entrepreneurs will each give a four-minute pitch of their business plan to a panel of investor judges in a “Shark Tank” format.  PowerPoint slides are not permitted. Think of it as the proverbial “elevator speech.”

After all of the pitches are completed, the judges will give detailed feedback. At the end of the evening, the person with the highest score will receive the opportunity to receive a Business Readiness Assessment coaching session with NEF coaches. Interested in pitching your own idea? Apply here!

Participants

Jessica Black, Founder and CEO of Berry Clean LLC. Berry Clean, maker of Berry Clean Soaps and Berry Bot Soap Maker, is dedicated to the sensitive skin community, bringing ancient ways of producing natural products into 2022 and beyond using smart automation and deep tech.

Thomas Coke, CEO of Varsity Gems. VarsityGems allows collegiate student athletes to benefit from Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rules by allowing alumni, boosters, investors, and fans to buy Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) related to student-athletes.  

Mathew Piccinato, Founder of Vocabulist, a vocabulary, spelling and reading comprehension learning platform focused on delivering a fun and engaging experience for Teachers, Students and Parents at all levels.

Judges

Our three distinguished judges will be:

Diane Durance, President of Michigan Capital Network

Jeffery Rinvelt, Partner at Renaissance Venture Capital;

Ashley Williams, Founder and CEO of RIZZARR

Showcase Presentation

Enspired Solutions was founded in 2021 to tackle one of the most pressing environmental issues worldwide: per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of synthetic compounds dubbed “forever chemicals” due to their high stability in natural environments. Enspired Solutions aims to commercialize a patented technology to permanently remove and destroy PFAS through a process that transforms toxic PFAS into nontoxic byproducts.

Denise Kay, Co-Founder and CEO, holds a PhD from the Michigan State University Institute of Environmental Toxicology. Her sixteen years of experience includes evaluation of chemical transfer, availability, fate and effect. She is the author of more than thirty peer-reviewed articles on the topics including environmental toxicology, contaminant sorption and bioavailabilty.

Networking

Come join us in person to enjoy food and drink and conversation with members of the local startup community.

Remote Viewing

Portions of this meeting will also be available for viewing online via Zoom.  For remote viewing, select an Online Ticket when registering via Eventbrite once the link becomes available.

COVID Protocol

Depending on the current CDC risk level for Washtenaw County, visitors to Spark Central may be required to wear a mask while indoors. Currently, masks are encouraged and appreciated but not required.