The next round of entrepreneurs competing for $100,000 in prize money as part of the 2014 TechOut competition has been narrowed down to five finalists. The startup competition, TechOut, provides half a million dollars in financing over five years to entrepreneurs with the most viable plans to develop and market new technology products or solutions.
TechOut is a partnership between the NH High Tech Council (NHHTC) and Alpha Loft (formerly abiHUB). The partnership represents a cohesive effort to grow the state’s tech ecosystem. The third-annual finalist event will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 2, at Dyn, 200 Bedford Street, Manchester. It will include live pitches from finalists, an announcement of the three winners, networking, food and beverages.
The finalists for this year share themes ranging from ecommerce, higher education and online collaboration. They are:
- Attic Gem <http://www.atticgem.com/> /gemr of Hampton, an online buying and selling platform where users post photos of collectibles to gain knowledge of their history and value from a community of experts and enthusiasts who share a passion for collectibles and antiques;
- Apply Kit <http://www.applykit.com/> of Manchester, which helps students discover, apply to and get into their dream colleges while helping colleges attract applicants who are good fits;
- SwitchNote <http://www.switchnote.com/> of Manchester, a collaborative study platform that rewards students for uploading and sharing their notes with classmates;
- UConnect <http://www.gouconnect.com/> of Manchester, a service for higher education career services to help college students everywhere transition to careers they love; and
- VidFall <https://vidfall.com/> of Manchester, a competitive auction website where prices fall as users watch sponsored videos.
“We have a very strong pool of finalists for this year’s TechOut competition," said Matt Cookson, executive director of the NHHTC. “It’s really exciting to recognize these startups, many of which are brand new to us and our tech ecosystem. TechOut is an opportunity and introduction for those companies, and we’re greatly looking forward to hearing finalist pitches on October 2 and awarding $100,000 to our top three.”
The competition is open to startups that have been in business for fewer than three years, raised less than $250,000 in funding and have less than $250,000 in revenue. The competition awards $100,000 in prize money each year: first place receives $50,000, second place $30,000 and third place $20,000. At the public event on October 2, a panel of judges will select the first and second place winners, while the third place winner will be decided entirely by the audience the night of the event.
The lead sponsor for the 2014 TechOut competition is Borealis Ventures www.borealisventures.com. Other sponsors are: BerryDunn www.berrydunn.com; Centrix Bank /www.centrixbank.com; Cook, Little, Rosenblatt & Manson www.clrm.com; Credit Suisse www.credit-suisse.com/us/en.html; Dunn Rush & Co www.dunnrush.com; Dyn dyn.com; the Entrepreneurs Foundation NH (an initiative of the NH Charitable Foundation) www.nhcf.org/efnh; FairPoint Communications www.fairpoint.com/small_business; Holloway Motor Cars www.hollowaymotorcars.com; Hypertherm www.hypertherm.com/en-us; NH Department of Resources and Economic Developmen www.dred.state.nh.us; and Wasabi Ventures www.wasabiventures.com.
For more information or to register to attend this year’s competition, visit nhhtc.org/nhhtc-events/techout-3 or alphaloft.org alphaloft.org.
Current Issue - May 2024