Carson City, NV -
August 22, 2017Ten
Business Pitch Competition finalists took to the stage to make a two-minute
pitch at the 6th annual Governor’s Conference on Business on August
17 at the Nugget Hotel Casino in Sparks. At the conclusion of the competition,
the judges’ panel conferred to determine first and second place, and the
audience cast their ballots to select the people’s choice award winner.
The
winning companies were announced at the conference luncheon awards ceremony and
were presented with cash and services packages valued at $31,800 total thanks
to the generosity of Business Pitch Competition sponsors AT&T, Microsoft,
The Abbi Agency and VAST.
2017
Business Pitch Competition Winners:
First
place: Classes.Vegas (Las Vegas) Classes.Vegas provides a
one-stop solution for pre-employment services in the areas of CPR
certification, lifeguard certification, alcohol awareness and fingerprinting
required to obtain work cards. The company received $5,000 cash and a
professional services package valued at $15,800.
Second
place: Talage Insurance (Reno) Talage Insurance provides
a software-based solution that enables the sale of commercial insurance
policies from insurance carriers to small business owners through any digital
channel, streamlining the process of comparison and purchase. The company
received $2,500 cash and a professional services package valued at $7,300.
People’s
choice: AboveGeo (Reno) AboveGeo is an aerial services and
data company that provides high-resolution geospatial data collection and
analysis through leading-edge drone and sensor technologies. The company was
awarded $1,000.
Other
Competition Finalists:
·
Buzz.Tools (Reno)
- a Software as a Service (SaaS) based group advocacy solution for businesses,
charities, political causes or any group passionate about their ideas
·
ClearSpace Aeronautics (Las
Vegas) - offers complete drone traffic management for aircraft and cities using
a patent-pending technology that facilitates safe drone flight
·
Comped Marketing (Las
Vegas) - an advertising distribution platform powered by artificial
intelligence that uses facial recognition, a camera and a digital screen to
create customer-tailored ads for audiences within rideshare vehicles
·
Pb+J Collective (Reno)
- a boutique nanny placement service that matches families and childcare
providers based upon each individual’s needs
·
StartUpNV (Las
Vegas) - a business incubator that helps entrepreneurs and startup companies
throughout the state
·
Talage Insurance (Reno)
- provides a software based solution that enables the sale of commercial
insurance policies from insurance carriers to small business owners through any
digital channel, streamlining the process of comparison and purchase.
·
The Fernley Reporter (Fernley)
- an online newspaper covering Fernley news, events and sports
·
TrenLot, Inc. (Reno)
- offers automated workflow and project management software coupled with
Internet of Things to the construction industry
Tragically,
StartUpNV’s co-founder, Eric Madison was killed in an automobile accident on
August 19 in Reno. Eric is a well-known figure in the Reno startup community
where he served as Executive Director for the CUBE and developed the “Pitch
Your Idea” program before launching StartUpNV, a statewide business incubator.
All of us at the Nevada Department of Business and Industry are shocked and
saddened by his sudden passing. Our thoughts are with Eric’s friends, family
and colleagues during this difficult time.
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