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MARQUETTE -- Five Michigan startups will compete Sept. 24 on the campus of Northern Michigan University in Marquette as part of PitchMI, a statewide competition designed to identify and support promising early-stage companies.
Presented by the Michigan State University Research Foundation and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the Marquette competition is one of four industry-focused PitchMI semifinals being held across Michigan this fall. The event will be held at the Northern Center from 12:30-3 p.m. Sept. 24. Admission is free.
The five companies competing in Marquette are:
• Averra Systems, Canton, represented by Alisyn Malek
• Fen X Custom, Grawn, represented by Mike Lin
• GAIA Predictive, Detroit, represented by Andrew DiMaggio
• Omegacool, Ann Arbor, represented by Joey Mullick
• Post Rock, Pleasant Ridge, represented by Chris Humphrey
Each founder will have seven minutes to pitch the company, followed by five minutes of questions from a panel of investors and industry leaders.
The winner will receive $375,000 in prize funding and advance to the PitchMI Championship. At the championship, regional winners will compete for an additional $1 million.
The five Marquette semifinalists are among 20 startups selected from hundreds of applicants statewide. The selected companies have also participated in an intensive development program covering topics including company positioning, hiring, go-to-market strategy, fundraising and financial planning.
Participants have received additional coaching focused on their pitches and preparing for questions from investors and industry leaders.
PitchMI is a founder-focused statewide startup competition intended to help emerging Michigan companies develop and gain access to investment and business resources.
Organizers are encouraging entrepreneurs, investors, students, researchers, business leaders and members of the public to attend the Marquette semifinal. In addition to hearing the startup pitches, attendees will have an opportunity to connect with entrepreneurs and others involved in Michigan’s growing startup ecosystem.