The Regional Economic Development Center (REDC) has named the five finalists in its Granite State Growth Competition, a statewide business pitch competition with a grand prize of $25,000. The finalists are: BIG INK of Newmarket, Cyborg of Manchester, NH Tap of Jaffrey, TrueProp Software of Durham, and YouScheduler of Durham. The companies will present their final pitches at REDC’s 25th anniversary celebration on May 9 in front of an audience and panel of judges; the winner will be announced at the event.
“We could not be happier with the quality and diversity of applicants we received for this competition,” says Laurel Adams, President of REDC. “These leaders truly embody the thriving entrepreneurial spirit in New Hampshire. We look forward to celebrating the successes of all of our competitors – whether or not they walk away with the $25,000 prize – at our 25th anniversary event next month.”
The Granite State Growth Competition started with more than 30 applicants. After participating in several rounds of pitching and narrowing down the number of competitors, a panel of judges, featuring economic development experts and entrepreneurs, selected the five finalists:
- BIG INK, located in Newmarket, is expanding the practice of woodblock printing to both hobbyists and professional artists. To do this, the organization sets-up temporary print shops at partner sites, including museums, universities, art centers and galleries, and selects artists to participate.
- Cyborg, located in Manchester, is a gamified mobile fitness platform using activity equalizing algorithms to create athletic metrics optimized for virtual competition. Users can track and log gamified workouts on the app and earn points to compete with others.
- NH Tap, located in Jaffrey, designs and builds filtration products for New Hampshire’s water, offering complete water purification solutions that include whole-home treatment installation and smart tap water.
- TrueProp Software, located in Durham, creates innovative solutions for the marine propulsion industry. The company’s flagship software product, TrueProp, interfaces with existing inspection equipment for marine propellers and guides the operator through the propeller inspection and repair process.
- YouScheduler, located in Durham, simplifies and centralizes data across universities by providing a single platform to maximize efficiency and cross-department communication. The application allows students to plan their weekly schedules based on classes, personalized breaks and preferences.
The five finalists will compete in the last round held at the 25th anniversary celebration for REDC on Thursday, May 9, at Birch Wood Vineyards in Derry. The anniversary celebration will begin at 5 p.m.; tickets are available for $25. The Granite State Growth Competition pitches will begin promptly at 7 p.m.; tickets for this part of the event are available for $10. Tickets can be purchased at https://redc25.eventbrite.com.