The Launch Place will be holding their 8th annual IdeaFest on Thursday in Danville. The event will be held from 1:00 pm to 6:30 pm at 2 Witches Winery and Brewing Company. The winner for the contest are expected to be announced between 5:00 and 5:30.
IdeaFest is a fast-paced business pitch competition with $10,000 in prize money. Entrepreneurs will take the stage to pitch an original business idea to a panel of expert judges. Competitors have 3 minutes to present their idea followed by 3 minutes of Q&A with the panel of judges.
Meet the Finalists
- Elysia Creative Biology – Eli Hornstein
- Salem – Trevor Gingras
- BioSensys– Jocelyne Akamaliza and Robin Jacob
- Verenovo Energy – Hayden Miller
- Gemini III Technologies – John Marshall
- Lithium Technologies, Inc. – Brian Keenum
- ELDR End of Life Design – Christy Lee Knutson
- Truth Or Err – Keenan Headen
- XStar Research LLC – Rick Fenrich
- VENT – Takita Walker and Shakeva Frazier
- Turnip – Dwight Brake
- Trova Commercial Vehicles, Inc. – Chad Lee Burchett
- Leantime – Gloria Folaron
- ExstoBio – Juan Carlos Pacheco
- CareYaya Health Technologies Inc. – Neal K. Shah
- Tromml – Lauren McCullough
- Nanode Battery Technologies Inc. – Brian Worfolk
- Sprocketz – Noon Farsab
- NursesBnB – Keisha Manning
Winners of the competition will also be eligible to receive twenty-five hours of free business consulting from The Launch Place. The Launch Place assists with business formation, job creation and retention through its business consulting services and investment funding, while having a dual responsibility to recruit and retain entrepreneurs to the Dan River Region. The IdeaFest competition exposes The Launch Place’s services and funds to start-up companies that are ready to establish or seeking early stage capital. The Launch Place could potentially invest in the company from its Seed and Pre-Seed Funds.