A few Bethesda startups could use your help.
A dozen local entrepreneurs got on the Startup Maryland bus earlier this month to record brief pitches for their companies. The videos, shot in the back of the bus while it was parked in front of Bethesda’s UberOffices, are now online.
Through the end of the month, a panel of angel and venture capitalist investors will review the 147 pitch videos shot across the state and select eight finalists that will move on to a major investor expos later this year.
At the TEDCO Entrepreneur Expo on Nov. 12, the eight finalists will get a chance to make a longer and more comprehensive pitch. The winner and runner-up will then be go to another pitch competition and be up for a $100,000 grant from the state.
The program is also looking for three “Fan Favorites,” to be determined by the pitches that get the most views and likes on YouTube.
Among the Bethesda entrepreneurs that made their pitch on the bus are Lisa Friedlander, who started Activity Rocket, what she described as “the Open Table for kids’ classes, camps and sports.”
Cherian Thomas, CEO of local restaurant app Spotluck, pitched his startup as a way to bring yield management to the dining industry. Sarah Kavanagh, who started Bethesda-based software management company Quatrove, also made her pitch.
The three pitches with the most views and likes by noon on Oct. 31 will win the competition.
Video via Startup Maryland
