Finalist Invited to Pitch Their Venture Opportunities at the
TEDCO Entrepreneur Expo on November 17
NOVEMBER 10, 2015 – EVERYWHERE, MD – Startup Maryland (www.startupmd.org) today announced the Great Eight (8) Finalists for the 2015 Pitch Across Maryland tour and celebration of innovation and entrepreneurship.
After posting nearly 150 video pitches from Maryland entrepreneurs that were captured during the three-week Pitch Across Maryland tour / celebration, Startup Maryland is proud to showcase the eight finalists. This year’s Finalist companies are listed below with a link to their 2015 pitch video:
Great 8 Finalists:
- Shared Lending
- Motorbriiz
- Sickweather
- Class Tracks
- Admit.me
- Breezio
- Kera Biotech
- Graftworx
“Our review panel had a very challenging time winnowing the Pitch Across Maryland field to only eight finalists this year,” stated Michael Binko, Founder/CEO of Startup Maryland. “The word is out and our tour stop partners really brought their A-game in helping identify and encourage strong startups to participate in this year’s tour.”
Nothing sells a concept or business idea better than the entrepreneurs themselves. The passion, enthusiasm and determination captured in Pitch Across Maryland video format gives investors much more depth than the dry statistics and standard formatting of a typical business plan or executive summary document.
All eight finalists are now invited to present their pitch again in a slightly longer and more formal format during the final Pitching Mound session at the 2015 TEDCO Entrepreneur Expo.
Building on their shorter Pitch Across Maryland video, the Entrepreneur Expo Great Eight Finalist pitches will be longer and afford the entrepreneurs a chance to share more detail about their venture/opportunity with ecosystem builders including investors, potential employees, incubators/accelerator teams and economic development officers.
“Finalists will present their venture roadmap to the full community of conference attendees and another panel of investor/entrepreneur experts will then select and announce the Pitch Across Maryland Winner and a Runner-up live at the Expo,” added Binko.
Separately, TEDCO has also agreed to select up to two of the Finalists to be catapulted directly to a Technology Commercialization Fund or Cybersecurity Innovation Fund $100,000 investment pitch. These selected Finalists will have to submit a TEDCO-compliant application for evaluation.
Members of the media are being directed to all Video Playlists to learn more about the innovations and entrepreneurs building great companies in Maryland and across the broader Mid-Atlantic region. The link to all Pitch Across Maryland playlists follows here:
https://www.youtube.com/user/StartupMaryland/playlists?sort=dd&view=1
About Startup Maryland
Startup Maryland (www.startupmd.org) is a venture and community development initiative launched out of the Startup America Partnership. Driven from within the community and Forged with Maryland Pride By Entrepreneurs … For Entrepreneurs, Startup Maryland strives to remain nimble and inclusive. Startup Maryland works to connect innovation communities and rallies entrepreneurs, supporters and other innovation stakeholders around four main initiatives: Connection, Celebration, Coaching, and Capital while also bringing together entrepreneurs in a community of support to drive greater social as well as economic outcomes.
About the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO)
TEDCO is the go-to source for entrepreneurial support and guidance for start-ups and early-stage companies engaged in bringing innovative ideas to market. For more than a decade, the organization has provided funding, mentoring and networking opportunities to support Maryland’s innovation ecosystem. While founded by the Maryland General Assembly, TEDCO is an independent entity that makes seed/early-stage investments and manages private capital for angel and venture capital funds. It is frequently ranked as one of the most active seed/early-stage investors in the nation. The organization plays a key role in bringing research created in Maryland’s educational institutions and federal laboratories into the commercial marketplace. For more information on TEDCO and its programs and resources, visit www.TEDCO.md .
# # #
CONTACT: For more information check out www.startupmd.org and www.tedco.md. Contact Girolama Bui at gbui@startupmd.org