Pitch Pit and Showcase Presentation

Pitch Pit Extravaganza!

Selected entrepreneurs will each give a four-minute pitch of their business plan, an “elevator speech”, to a panel of investor judges in a “Shark Tank” format.  

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

Participants

Ebbin Daniel, Machine AI Solutions

Angelia Johnson, Future You Photo Booth

Satish Ramade, AdOnAir

More to be announced soon!

Judges

Benjamin Bukari, attorney at Mavacy. Ben is an experienced attorney specializing in cybersecurity, digital assets, digital accessibility, and
enterprise SaaS. He advises emerging companies and Fortune 500 organizations on protecting assets, negotiating complex commercial agreements, and fostering sustainable business growth. With a strategic, client-centered approach, Benjamin helps businesses navigate the evolving digital landscape with confidence.

Drew Leahy, General Partner at SPLYCAP & President at SPLYFI. Drew brings nearly 20 years of startup and venture experience to his roles at SPLYCAP, a non-traditional VC firm, and SPLYFI, a short-term private credit fund focused on aerospace and defense. As a hands-on operator of $100M+ in LP assets spanning HNWIs, family offices, and international institutions, Drew takes an active, sleeves-rolled-up approach to partnering with founders across growth, product, finance, and talent. Entrepreneur turned operator turned investor, he’s reshaping how deals and relationships are managed in venture capital.

Doron York of City Side Ventures. A Tel Aviv-born entrepreneur, Doron York has been building and scaling tech companies since his early 20s, achieving multiple successful exits. With deep expertise in turning vision into business reality, he has coached Fortune 100 executives and worked with over 200 startups worldwide. His intrapreneurship systems have driven breakthrough growth, with clients reporting significant revenue and market share increases. As former Navy SEAL officer, Doron applies high-performance leadership principles to business, and as dedicated Michigander for 32 years, he is committed to making Michigan a global tech hub.

Showcase Presentation

This even will feature a 10-minute investor-focused pitch, developed by a local entrepreneur with the help of NEF’s coaching program. The goal of the Showcase Presentation is to allow entrepreneurs to present their business plan and connect with potential investors.

This month’s Showcase Presenter will be Fiona Hayes with Viewpoint Simulations. ViewPoint Simulations is an edtech company transforming higher education through scalable, active learning. Our flagship platform, ViewPoint, enables instructors to quickly create and facilitate role-based simulations where students take on personas, grapple with complex challenges, and learn from diverging perspectives. Already in use at institutions like UC Berkeley, Georgetown, and the University of Michigan, ViewPoint saves instructors time, boosts course evaluations, and makes it easy to scale experiential learning across disciplines and programs.

Networking

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

Featured Sponsor

TBA!