SOREDI Offers $500 Cash Prize to Startups in Pitch Contest

Thursday, November 8, SOREDI’s LAUNCH Southern Oregon will host a Pitch Contest at Climate City Brewing Company in Grants Pass. The program will feature a series of 5- Minute Startup Pitches, given by area entrepreneurs. The audience favorite will walk away with a $500 Cash Prize, sponsored by SOREDI’s Business Development Loan Fund. Tickets are $20. Ticket price includes Climate City pizza and one drink. Additional drinks are available for purchase. Visit www.soredi.org/events to register. Networking begins at 5:30 pm and the program will begin at 6:00.

The contestants preparing for this Pitch Contest include; Exploring Robotics, Heavenly Fire Salsa, Livestock of the World, and Natural Earth Paints. This line up offers guests a peek at the wide variety of innovations growing in Southern Oregon. Exploring Robotics is a service that brings robots into K-12 classrooms to improve education for students in a variety of ways. Heavenly Fire Salsa is a premium quality, artisan salsa currently available at markets and retail outlets in Southern Oregon. Livestock of the World is a network that connects buyers and sellers of animals and related products. Natural Earth Paint provides truly non-toxic, high quality art supplies nationally and internationally. Pitch Contest audiences should anticipate some engaging product demonstrations!

In addition, Bradley Converse, of The Bradley Putter Company, makers of custom Oregon wood burl putters, will give us an update regarding the growth of his Grants Pass business, and guests will get to meet SOREDI’s new Venture Catalyst.

Barbara Hernandez, of Life Changes Solutions LLC, (pictured here with Colleen Padilla, SOREDI Executive Director) won the Pitch Contest in May of 2018. She says, “Using the grant money has been so exciting!” Barbara continues, “I been able to begin work on a website for my company, as well as purchasing a printer/scanner for my office and procuring the supplies for OIT students to develop a prototype.” With these supplies, Barbara has been working with professors at OIT in the mechanical engineering department. Together, they are coaching five OIT students who have taken her product development on as their senior project. The prototype will be tested by OHSU nursing instructors and students, and the feedback provided will be used to improve the product in development.

LAUNCH Southern Oregon is an initiative of SOREDI, created to support startup companies in Jackson and Josephine Counties. The City of Ashland, Southern Oregon University (SOU), the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), First Interstate Bank, Novum Visuals and Neuman Hotel Group, provide funding and direction for the LAUNCH|Talks, an ongoing series of inspirational and informative talks offered for entrepreneurs. For more information on upcoming LAUNCH|Talks, visit www.soredi.org/events.

About SOREDI: SOREDI is a private, membership-based, non-profit organization, governed by a board of directors. Its eight-person staff is charged with local business expansion and new business recruitment efforts, financial assistance to start-up companies through its business loan fund, and management of Enterprise Zones in Jackson and Josephine Counties. The agency was formed as a regional economic development agency in 1987. Learn more at https://soredi.org.