Awato, Forcivity, Heat Oracle, KudosWall and Near Field Magnetics to vie for top honors on October 5
Five finalists have been selected for TechOut 2016, New Hampshire’s largest tech startup competition. A partnership between the NH High Tech Council (Council) and Alpha Loft, TechOut identifies entrepreneurs with viable plans to develop and market new technology products and funds them through investment capital awards of $100,000 a year. The contest’s winners will be selected at the live event beginning at 5:30 pm on Wednesday, October 5.
TechOut includes live pitches from the finalists, an unveiling of the three winners with the 3rd place winner selected through a real-time audience vote), networking, and food and beverages for a very nominal entry fee.
“Our goal is to pack the house with current and future entrepreneurs,” said Matt Cookson, executive director of the Council. “TechOut is a great opportunity for these five finalists to introduce themselves to the public, pitch their ideas to other industry experts and have the chance to rise to the top three who will receive cash investments totaling $100,000.”
The finalists for this year are:
- Awato, presented by CEO and cofounder Matthew Guruge, is an online platform that automates quality academic and career counseling for colleges. Its main feature is a series of dynamic assessments that learn from and adapt to the user.
- Forcivity, presented by CEO and co-founder Steve Baines, is a cloud-based data reporting and access platform that makes the once impossible tasks of Salesforce.com users possible. Its focus is on restoring access to and control of cloud-based data.
- Heat Oracle, presented by founders Louis Trebaol and Greg Hovagim, is an (Internet of Things (IOT) technology platform that creates an intelligent and efficient heating fuel ecosystem through monitoring heating oil consumption and marketplace price.
- KudosWall, presented by CEO Jag Vootkur and founding team member Nikhil, is a social platform and an automatic portfolio builder that makes it easy to keep track of the talents, experiences and proudest moments of students. KudosWall can be used for college applications, resumés or scholarships, and is a growing K-12 community.
- Near Field Magnetics, Inc. (NFMI), presented by CEO and cofounder Dave McManus, is an Internet of Things (IOT) sensor company whose sensors allow for data collection in radio frequency hostile environments where traditional wireless sensors fail. NFMI is focused on the B2B segment of the IoT.
TechOut is open to startups that have been in business for fewer than five years, raised less than $250,000 in funding and have less than $250,000 in revenue. The competition awards $100,000 in investment funds each year: first place receives $50,000, second place $30,000 and third place $20,000. At the public event on October 5, 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 2016 TechOut competition is Borealis Ventures. Other sponsors are: FairPoint Communications, Dyn, Cook Little Rosenblatt Mason, UBS, Dunn, Rush & Co., Entrepreneurs Foundation of New Hampshire, Berry Dunn, TD Bank, Meltwater and New Hampshire Business Review.
The event is $10 for members, $15 for not-yet-members and $5 for students. For more information or to register to attend this year’s competition, click here.
