Five startups took the stage on Tuesday evening to present to a panel of judges and a room of investors in StartupSac’s latest iteration of our Warm-Up Pitch event. The pitch competition culminated weeks of training and practice for the participating founders. Leading up to the event, the cohort of five startups attended a workshop to learn what investors want to see in a presentation when startups pitch to them, as well as two practice sessions to get ready for the event.
Presenting Startups
Humanly is a conversational people-data platform. Using the latest in automation and AI, Humanly gives hiring teams their time back by putting candidate screening and scheduling on auto-pilot.
Andrew Gardner presents his startup Humanly
PairAnything provides personalization and decisioning logic technology for wineries to connect with their customers anywhere, anytime.
Christy Serrato presenting her startup Pair Anything
VertX Advertising is at the intersection of advertising and health positive impact. They partner with public transit agencies and install their pathogen-reducing standing passenger handles that are supported by advertising into city’s fleet.
Wyatt Dike presenting his startup VertX Advertising
RePurpose Energy reuses electric vehicle batteries to store solar energy. By offering low-cost energy storage and reducing battery waste, it aims to enable the transition to renewable energy and electric vehicles.
Ryan Barr presenting his startup RePurpose Energy
NAICHA is creating a healthy boba alternative through micro-encapsulation and the introduction of microbes.
Wesley Lin presenting his startup NAICHA
Each of the presenters pitched for five minutes and then answered questions from the panel of judges for five minutes. A First Place, Second Place and Audience Choice were selected and awarded a non-cash prize package of services to help them advance their company. And the winners are:
First Place: VertX Advertising (Watch a video of their pitch here.)
Second Place: RePurpose Energy
Audience Favorite: RePurpose Energy
Thanks to everyone who made this event possible: the presenters, our sponsors, partners, and panel of judges.
Panel of Judges
Sabya Das, Partner, Moneta Ventures
Sabya Das is a Partner at Moneta Ventures. Sabya is a technology fanatic who focuses on the development and analysis of Moneta Ventures’ many internet and software based portfolio companies. Raised in Folsom, CA, he was always fascinated by technology, and has built and developed a multitude of web applications and products. Sabya evaluates new opportunities for investment and assists Moneta’s portfolio companies in a variety of operational roles. He joined Moneta Ventures as an Investment Analyst in 2014. Sabya graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a major in cognitive science/computational modeling
Kenneth Tallo, Business & Technology Professional, Investor, Adviser, Board Member
Ken is a Partner at Xinova Corporation, an innovation-focused company that works with multinational companies to solve their business and technology challenges. Prior to Xinova, Ken was at Intel Corporation for 17yrs, where he launched Intel’s Technology Licensing business within their Intel Capital Group. Ken is an investor, adviser, entrepreneur, and holds several Board positions including his current role as Selection-Chair of the Sacramento Angels Group. Though it’s been nearly 20 years since Ken moved over to the business world, he holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Louisiana State University
Roger Akers, Managing Partner, Akers Capital LLC
Roger has over 20 years of experience in technology related environments. As an IT Services executive, Roger managed the development and delivery of large-scale software systems in over 80 client environments. In 1998, Roger co-founded Akers Capital LLC with partner Tom Loutzenheiser. After successfully raising Pac West Technology Fund I in 2000, Roger and the team have invested in, mentored and helped build emerging technology companies. Roger has undergraduate degrees in Accounting (CPA) and Computer Science and a Masters of Business Administration.
Mark Haney, CEO of HaneyBiz, Angel Investor
Mark Haney has built several multi-million dollar companies and is passionate about helping dedicated Sacramento entrepreneurs and business people grow their business. Having scaled the entrepreneurial mountain and achieved many of his lifelong dreams, Mark has turned his attention and resources to helping entrepreneurs succeed. In 2011, Mark launched Haney Business Ventures, a family of businesses focused on investment and growth of hometown entrepreneurial opportunities. Through HaneyBiz.com, Mark has invested or partnered in over 25 ventures across multiple industries
Michelle Hallsten, Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig, LLP, Angel Investor
Michelle represents emerging and established companies in a variety of practice areas, including general corporate, securities, corporate governance, private debt and equity financings, venture capital, mergers and acquisitions, and public offerings. Her client base covers many industries, including technology, health care, insurance, business services, life sciences, retail, publishing, professional services and real estate. Prior to joining the firm, Michelle served as a staff attorney in the Division of Corporation Finance of the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C., and was also in private practice in the Washington, D.C. office of an international law firm for four years.
StartupSac Warm-Up Pitch Sponsors
StartupSac Warm-Up Pitch Partners
Thank you to our partners for making this event possible!
Granite City Coworking
About StartupSac Warm-Up Pitch
StartupSac Warm-Up Pitch is an event to help near investment-ready startups hone their presentations skills and pitch decks. The presenting startups will not be offering investment opportunities. This is a Demo event only. The pitch event does not include prize money, but helps participants develop presentation skills and provides valuable feedback for future pitches to investors.
