A NIGHT FOR TRAILBLAZERS
Enjoy an evening of drinks, snacks, networking, and watching five fledgling companies compete to win over $17,000 in prizes. We’ll have industry leaders, entrepreneurs and all the brightest minds in Toledo's tech scene. The event will be held at The University of Toledo’s Nitschke Technology Commercialization Complex on October 24th at 5:30 p.m.
2018 RECAP VIDEO
Event Schedule
- 5:30 – 6:00 – Doors Open – Networking, Food, Drink
- 6:15-6:30 – Introduction and Start of Pitches
- 6:30 – 7:30 – Judges Comments
- 7:30 – 8:00 – Judging
- 8:00 – 8:30 – Awards
Prizes
- 1ST PRIZE: $10,000
- 2ND PRIZE: $5,000
- 3RD PRIZE: $2,500
History of pitch & pour
We find five high-tech/high-growth, technology-enabled enterprises that demonstrate innovative business concepts with the potential to develop into successful companies. Each year’s attendees include the region’s top entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, and area businesses.
Contestants give their best 5-minute pitch to the audience and a team of seasoned judges made up of entrepreneurs and business leaders. Several of the past winners have scaled into extremely successful businesses such as Grypmat, GAFFL, and ZidZid.
Competitors are judged on the following criteria:
- Idea Viability
- Pitch Clarity - clearly stating the problem/pain being solved
- Presentation Aesthetic
- Leadership Team & Background
- Product Market Fit
2019 PITCH & pOUR cOMPETITORS
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Susan Haseley Bite-R – speech therapy device designed to help children produce the “r” sound. This device has been shown to reduce the time spent in speech therapy - saving schools money and improving children’s lives. |
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Chuck Rupp Jaberu Sump Pump Controller - WIFI-enabled sump pump controller with a mobile app interface. The device can monitor and regulate multiple pumps, provide notifications of long cycles, and alerts for high water levels and power failure. |
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Dr. Darya Dabiri, DMD, MS PedoEndo Dental Innovation - multi-sensor, hand-held dental probe that determines the health of a tooth without the need for verbal feedback from a patient. |
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Terry Bigioni, PhD. Pelham Precious Metals - disruptive antimicrobial, anti-odor, anti-infective, and anti-HAI (healthcare-associated infection) coating for textiles. The coating adds protection to fabrics without interfering with the functionality of underlying coatings, such as fire retardants, wicking layers, water repellents, and fabric softeners. |
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Nida Ammar cHorizon – 3-tier system that measures, controls and extracts nutrients from the farm's water run-off before it makes its way to Lake Erie. They help farmers monitor and manage soil and water resources to ensure the supply of clean water, improve soil health, build regenerative practices, and maximize profit within agricultural and hothouse industries. |
2019 PITCH & pOUR Judges
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Jason Daniels – is a strategist, speaker, masterful facilitatory, lead consultant and author of the book Get Off the Gerbil Wheel: A Remarkable Way to Stop Running and Going Nowhere in Life. He currently serves as President and CEO of JAYRAMON LLC, a consultancy focused on collaborating with corporate, civic, social sector and non-profit organizations, providing strategic solutions to help build leadership effectiveness, scale impact, grow local and national partnerships and advance philanthropic effectiveness. |
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Tony Pietrocola- Tony got his start as an Apple Systems Engineer from 1997-2000. For the next 19 years, he has helped technology companies grow in the SaaS, Fintech and Cybersecurity spaces. Tony has an excellent track record in developing global growth strategies, high performance, and sustainable sales teams and building successful businesses. Tony has managed companies from early-stage to publicly traded with revenues ranging from pre-revenue to $100MM. Tony serves on the board of EBO Group, Inc (acquired by Timken) and Metisentry. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Toledo. |
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Doug Rammel - a venture capitalist, entrepreneur, philanthropist, teacher, writer and family man originally from Ludlow Falls, OH and now living in Indianapolis, IN. A 1990 graduate of the University of Toledo and the University of Michigan (1993), Rammel began his career in politics; was trained in the business of healthcare; has built, acquired and merged companies and operations; and now works with groups & individuals to build their dreams. In his 29 year career, Rammel has worked in a variety of environments within government, academia, the Cleveland Clinic, academic medicine, privately and family-controlled companies, Reebok International, Adidas International and now startup communities throughout the Midwest. Rammel also is active in his community, serving on a number of local, state and national non-profit and professional boards and volunteers regularly as a catechist and coach. |
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Tracy Momany- Tracy joined Plastic Technologies, Inc. in 1988 and is currently a Vice President with responsibility for PTI’s medical packaging joint venture startup, Guardian Medical. Tracy has extensive experience in PET preform, container, tooling and mold design, whole package performance and material testing, and on-site product start-up and manufacturing support. In her new role, she has expanded her experience to include the medical and regulatory packaging space. |
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Akib Amin – Akib is currently working as the co-founder of GAFFL, an app that connects travelers with similar itineraries to share costs and experiences, which helps people find others and save money for future adventures worldwide. Akib is a 2016 graduate of the University of Toledo College of Engineering and was the 2018 PItch & Pour winner. |
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LIC: 975 Research Dr, Toledo, OH 43614