Pitch Circus winner to receive $5,500 in prize money.
Six technology startup companies will be vying for $5,500 in prize money plus in kind services as contestants in the Geekend 2018 Pitch Circus.
The Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), the state of Georgia’s technology incubator, is sponsoring the Pitch Circus and has selected the six startups that will present to judges and angel investors at Geekend, which is Feb. 2-3 in Savannah (tickets available here).
Geekend is an annual conference that brings the most innovative technology leaders and creators to Savannah. Other sponsors for this year’s event include the City of Savannah, the Foram Group, Mallabo Communications, and HunterMaclean.
ATDC, which runs its ATDC @ Savannah educational curriculum in the city, is sponsoring the Pitch Circus, which takes place on Feb. 2. The Pitch Circus is a curated event aimed at highlighting Georgia’s best and most fundable startups and having those founders pitch to investors.
The six startups selected are:
- Corstrata: Providing healthcare payers, providers, and patients access to scarce wound care clinicians through telemedicine and mobile health technology in order to heal wounds faster and at a lower cost.
- Green Badger: Its collaborative, cloud-based solutions help streamline and automate the $150 billion green building construction market.
- Kugobi: Kugobi provides online personalized learning for students so they can maximize their learning potential.
- Project MQ: This social media app serves indie game studios and fans by curating the best indie games from around the world.
- Skyraider Aeronautics: Utilizing the latest technology in unmanned aerial systems and agriculture, the company helps farmers identify stress in their crops resulting in higher yields.
- McFinney: The company uses a patented process to convert carbon feedstocks found in waste material into fuel.
“We had a strong and impressive roster of candidates and had to make the difficult decision of selecting six from more than 30 applications from entrepreneurs here in Savannah and nearby in Beaufort, S.C. and from as far away as Athens and Atlanta, and even Houston,” said José Mallabo, ATDC’s startup catalyst in Savannah.
The industry sectors represented included healthcare, drones, education and medical technologies, gaming, and commerce, he said.
Cindy Hill, host of the Savannah and statewide broadcasts of National Public Radio’s
“All Things Considered” on Georgia Public Broadcasting Radio, will emcee the Pitch
Circus. The Pitch Circus will be live streamed via Facebook Live on the ATDC Facebook page. The Pitch Circus launches at 5 p.m. and runs through 6:30 p.m.
The judging panel is comprised of:
- Susan Catron, executive editor of the Savannah Morning News and savannahnow.com.
- Cres Ferell, partner, BIP Capital.
- Greg Kolovich, co-founder and chief medical officer of Micro C Imaging.
- Jonathan Lambright, professor of engineering technology at Savannah State University.
- David Nelems, CEO of the Don Ryan Center for Innovation.
- Kelly Shaver, professor of entrepreneurial studies at the College of Charleston.
Immediately after the final company pitches, we’ll Mary-Cathryn Kolb, founder and CEO of brrr° will have a can’t-be-missed fireside chat with the Pitch Circus emcee.
About Geekend:
Geekend is a two-day conference where Savannah’s hackers, hustlers, designers, and makers converge. Held annually since 2009 and showcases the best and brightest innovators from tech, education, design, engineering and business in Savannah and beyond. Key organizers include a group of local Savannah entrepreneurs and technologists. Presenting sponsors are The Creative Coast, and Georgia Tech’s Advanced Technology Development Center, Geekend seeks to establish Savannah as a hub for innovation, tech, and creative industries and raise awareness among the global tech community about what Savannah has to offer. For more information, visit geek-end.com.
About the Advanced Technology Development Center:
The Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), a program of the Georgia Institute of Technology, is the state of Georgia’s technology startup incubator. Founded in 1980 by the Georgia General Assembly which funds it each year, ATDC’s mission is to work with entrepreneurs in Georgia to help them learn, launch, scale, and succeed in the creation of viable, disruptive technology companies. Since its founding, ATDC has grown to become one of the longest running and most successful university-affiliated incubators in the United States, with its graduate startup companies raising $3 billion in investment financing and generating more than $12 billion in revenue in the state of Georgia. T