High-profile judges for Kauffman contest includes Marcelo Claure, VCs
October 29, 2015 | Bobby Burch
A star-studded lineup of businesspeople from around the nation will be judging 15 startups in the Kauffman Foundation’s One in a Million pitch contest.
The competition, which will take place on Nov. 17 and 18 during Global Entrepreneurship Week, will award $10,000 to one startup that previously participated in the foundation’s 1 Million Cups program.
Those evaluating all 15 firms and whittling the round to five finalists are: Anita Newton, CMO of Kansas City-based Adknowlege; Sherry Turner, founder of OneKC for Women; Alicia Herald, CEO of myEDmatch; Trey Bowles, CEO of the Dallas Entrepreneur Center; and Nathan Gold, a public speaker known as the “Demo Coach.”
Judges in the competition’s final round of five startups are: Marcelo Claure, CEO of Sprint; Nicole Glaros, chief product officer of Techstars; and Paul Kedrosky, managing partner of SK Ventures.
A panel of judges evaluated 40 contestants’ business plans and pitch videos and then selected the semifinalists to compete for a grand prize of $10,000. Second- and third-place winners will receive $5,000 and $1,000, respectively.
Three Kansas City companies are among the semifinalists in the competition.
The companies representing the Kansas City area are:
- AEGLE Palette, of Shawnee, Kan., which created a digital placemat that helps users monitor and control their dietary intake.
- blooom, of Leawood, Kan., which offers users an online 401k tool that automates management of funds to maximize growth.
- Idle Smart, of Kansas City, Kan., which created automated engine start-stop technology that reduces overnight idle time by 70 percent, reducing costs for fleets by keeping batteries charged and engines warm.
Featured Business
2015 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Chris Brown: Where to Incorporate? Delaware, Missouri or Kansas?
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. This article is general in nature and does not constitute legal advice. Readers with legal questions should consult an attorney. Entrepreneurs often think they need to incorporate in Delaware. In this article, we’ll look at whether that is the best decision (hint – often…
Vibrant clothing, mission guides socially focused startup By Grace Designs
A social impact firm with the mission to empower women in Ghana and India recently beat out more than 40 other firms to win the Regnier Venture Creation Challenge, earning it $20,000. Co-founded by Emily Moon and Kelsey Carlstedt in 2015, By Grace Designs is a nonprofit that sells handmade, culturally-authentic clothing online, offering vibrantly…
Blooom announces layoffs, new strategic focus on consumers
Refocusing its outbound efforts to solely target consumers, financial tech startup Blooom has laid off nearly a third of its staff and a top executive has resigned. The Leawood-based company recently announced that it has let go of 10 employees as it moves resources away from marketing to enterprises and will refocus on direct-to-consumer marketing.…
Report: KC is a tech hub but labor shortage is hampering growth
Each day, Kansas City is better positioning itself to be the Midwest’s tech hub. But for Kansas City to realize its full potential, tech leaders, policymakers and the community need to do more to cultivate homegrown talent, KC Tech Council president Ryan Weber said. “Attracting talent from another city is a very small game — and…