PITCH PIT AND SHOWCASE

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

Jordan Craven, Founder of Sizeologic, a technology company that is committed to improving the sizing and fit of clothing in the online clothing retail industry. Its goal is to provide a comprehensive software suite that makes it easier for consumers to find clothes that fit them perfectly, while assisting online retailers with returns, environmental impact, and the streamlining of their supply chain.

Saamer Mansoor with BeAware, which offers applications for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Individuals and the Institutions that serve them. The Deaf Assistant app, which is both free and open-source, is centered around inclusion and accessibility, and making deaf peoples’ lives easier by making everyday actions inclusive and diverse. 

Ryan Mills with ScrapTrader, a revenue operation software platform with a goal of improving workflow standardization for metal sales transactions in the recycled materials industry.  On the front end, ScrapTrader organizes traders and allows them to work more efficiently; on the back end, it empowers companies by enabling them to capture a more comprehensive perspective of sales data while maintaining data privacy.

Judges

Chris Hart, CEO and Co-Founder of gBeat.com. 

An experienced software developer turned entrepreneur,  Chris has dedicated his career to leveraging technology for enhancing healthspan. His expertise is in understanding and optimizing the unit economics of the business model, ensuring they deliver value efficiently, honed over 20+ years of co-founding and leading a software company.

Dr. Marlo Rencher, President of Detroit Means Business and Co-Founder of Commune Angels.

Dr. Rencher is an entrepreneur, anthropologist, and educator with over two decades of experience in startup and small business development. Dr. Rencher was named one of Michigan’s 100 Most Influential Women by Crain’s Detroit Business in 2021.

Jim Tenzillo, President of New Ventures Consulting. 

Jim is a venture investor, community builder and startup advisor who has spent 10+ years as both an investor and operator. He was most recently the Managing Director of an early-stage investor that made 132 investments into 56 early-stage Michigan tech startups. He is also one of the co-founders of the VentureNext community.

Showcase Presentation

AutoVault™ is an AI-driven, privacy-compliant SAAS application that reconnects the dealership and automotive ecosystem service providers to the driver.  The application simplifies the recording of driver activities, securely stores driver’s ownership documentation and information and leverages generative AI to derive actionable insights to the dealerships and ecosystem service providers to monetize their relationships to the driver at all points of interaction.

Betsy Ehrenberg, Founder and Chair, advises clients on a broad range of automotive sales and service revenue opportunities using her knowledge of the automotive marketplace, driver behaviors and related car financial and insurance business opportunities. AutoVault is Betsy’s fourth start-up, with three prior successful exits. Betsy was the first female manager with IBM Canada, has been recognized as an Outstanding Business Executive in Silicon Valley, and was honored as a C-Suite executive in New Mexico. She studied computer science at Carnegie Tech and business at Harvard University. Betsy resides in Brentwood, CA, and is an expert skier and nationally recognized contemporary art collector.

Networking

Come join us in person to enjoy food, 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.

Featured Sponsor

To be announced soon!