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
KCMO forms small biz task force for entrepreneurs; underinvested businesses a key focus
Editor’s note: KC BizCare, the small business office of Kansas City, Missouri, is a partner of Startland News. A new task force committed to giving space for Kansas City small business owners to share their voices — on issues ranging from major events like the NFL Draft to everyday concerns on permits and zoning —…
Rescue florists give new life to leftover flowers; nonprofit just needs 6-inch stems and someone to surprise
Impact is growing again for an initiative that sends recycled floral arrangements — flowers otherwise headed for the trash after events — to homebound Kansas City seniors. Volunteer-run Unexpected Blooms recently celebrated its sixth birthday, after being forced to take a pause when the pandemic stalled many large gatherings from which they sourced flowers, shared…
Poio’s chef-owner lets go of his popular KCK restaurant: ‘I’m still learning how to relax’
Carlos Mortera struggled with the idea of not working all hours of the waking day, he shared, explaining that this subconscious guilt is sometimes known as “immigrant shame.” “Being a first-generation [American], you see all the sacrifices your parents made to get you to this country. Because of their sacrifices, you feel like you should…
Chat GPT isn’t an AI superhero, founder says, but with the right context this new tech can save the day for businesses
An emerging Kansas City entrepreneur hopes to train businesses on how they can harness the power of Chat GPT to gain a competitive advantage, he said. Learning how to effectively utilize Chat GPT — an artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI and recently introduced into the market — can benefit all companies by streamlining operations…