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HCEDA & MIC Hosted First Annual Great Pumpkin Pitch Competition, Startups Competed for $10k in Cash Prizes

Friday, October 29, 2021

The Maryland Innovation Center (MIC) kicked off the fall season with our first annual Pitch & Mingle Series, “Great Pumpkin Pitch,” which featured MIC resident and affiliate companies. The event took place at Two Merriweather’s cutting-edge lounge in the Downtown Columbia. 

Our event MC and self-proclaimed “Pitch Witch,” Julie Lenzer, Chief Innovation Officer at University of Maryland, electrified the audience as five startups presented their 4 minute-pitch to our audience and seasoned panel of startup judges. Our judges included Greg Miller (Consultant, Board Advisor, Investor, and Co-Founder of the Health Tech Alley), Chris Haug (Founder of 360 Venture Management Group and Chapter Director of Startup), and Anne Balduzzi (Managing Director of TEDCO).  

Our 65 audience members had the opportunity to join the judges by voting for their Crowd Favorite and cheering on the presenters. Our Pitch and Mingle event also included ample participants, pitchers, and local entrepreneurs to network, while enjoying fantastic light fare and drinks provided by Cured 18th & 21st.  

The 5 startups who pitched are below:   

  • Nathan Garcia – Pocket Planner | 1st Place | A financial technology that improves decision making and access to trusted financial professionals. 
  • Abhishek Rege – Vasoptic Medical Inc. | 2nd Place | A medical device company developing and commercializing high-quality, cost-effective products for non-invasive, dynamic assessment of blood flow and vascular status.  
  • Ed DeJesus – Social Capital Builders | 3rd Place & Crowd Favorite | A black owned start-up dedicated to improving the economic and social well-being of youth and adults through social capital literacy training and development. 
  • Alex Goley – EZFol.io | A progressive web app that shows all your investment holdings in one central location. It also reveals key insights into gains, losses, and performance.  
  • Brandy Lockwood – Automated Retail Solutions | Home of The First Unattended Automated Mattress Store. 

To learn more about the Maryland Innovation Center and to stay connected on upcoming networking opportunities, visit https://www.hceda.org/innovation-startups/howard-county-innovation-center/  

 To view photos from the event, click here.  

 

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