Vermont Business MagazineValt Increceived the grand prize in the FreshTracks Capital Vermont Road Pitch Finals held on October 19th at Champlain College in Burlington. After earning the highest score from the judges, (a group of more than 30 “business bikers” comprised of investors, entrepreneurs and business advisors), Brent Heeringa, CEO of Valt, took home the $5,000 grand prize, a large Vermont Teddy Bear, and one years’ worth of mentoring from the Road Pitch motorcycle rider group.
Brent Heeringa, CEO of Valt.Photo Credit: Bob LoCicero
Valt, which won the Bennington local Road Pitch, is a technology startup freeing internet users from the tedium of password management and the threat of digital identify theft with a new approach to password management. Valt users lock their passwords behind an automatically generated random master password that is translated into a series of images, which are easier to remember than text. Users can access their Valt across all their devices, allowing them to manage, generate and instantly retrieve any of their passwords, never wasting another moment being locked out of a site.
The 2017 riders listened to more than 50 business presentations during the course of a one-week 10 town motorcycle tour in early August around Vermont and an additional stop at the Champlain Mini Maker Faire in September. Each pitch was scored individually by the judges (riders) on predetermined criteria with the highest scoring presenter at each location awarded the “Riders Choice Prize” of $500 and a special edition “Vermont Biker Bear” contributed by Vermont Teddy Bear.
The final event brought the eleven local town “winners” together at Champlain College for one final statewide pitch competition. “We had more than 300 people in the audience for the final Road Pitch event on October 19th” - said Cairn Cross, Road Pitch Founder and Co-Founder of FreshTracks Capital. “Champlain College generously hosted the final event in their Champlain Room in the Center for Creative Media. Several Stiller School of business professors worked the Road Pitch finals into their coursework. In addition, Burr and Burton Academy’s entrepreneurship club sent a contingent of students north to watch the pitch presentations.
The riders heard from a variety of Vermont entrepreneurial companies including food and beverage product companies, software companies, advanced manufacturing companies, clothing companies and natural products companies. All of the events were open to the public. “We are able to offer these prizes through the generous sponsorship provided by the Vermont Department of Economic Development, Champlain College and Champlain College’s BYOBiz program, Burlington Bytes, Merritt & Merritt, Key Bank, Gallagher Flynn and Company, Moulton Law Group, Social Sentinel, Vermont Teddy Bear and EMBOLDIA” said Cross, “each of these sponsors plays a key role in the statewide entrepreneurial ecosystem and we are happy for their support.”
The goals of Road Pitch are to connect Vermont entrepreneurs to resources such as capital and advice, advocate for entrepreneurs throughout the state, help entrepreneurs polish and refine their pitching skills, showcase entrepreneurship through a highly visible annual event, find investible opportunities for private investors and source capital for entrepreneurial businesses, and promote motorcycle touring in Vermont while having fun and riding safely.
Other finalists included:
MajorWise - A software platform that helps schools/departments better connect students with internships, volunteering, and learning opportunities.
Sustainability Benefits - A service launched by the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation that allows employers to advance corporate sustainability initiatives beyond the office walls while providing a valuable benefit to employees.
Vermont Chalky Paint - A line of non-toxic paint that’s mined, manufactured & made in Vermont.
Fire Technologies International, LLC - A Vermont company that has taken the supervision and control of the individual fire hose discharges on a fire apparatus to a new level.
Sugar Bob’s Finest Kind - A delicious, hardwood smoked maple syrup product.
Edgeworks Creative - An end-to-end suite of interactive eLearning tools for instructor-led corporate training in both classroom and remote settings.
Whistlekick - A provider and distributor of branded gear, accessories and clothing for martial artists.
Biochar Waste Management - A carbon product produced from plant matter used to improve water quality & quantity, and to increase the retention of nutrients in soil.
Potlicker Kitchen - A Stowe start-up that specializes in beer jelly, wine jelly, unique small-batch jams, and seasonal pickles.
QOR360 - A Burlington start-up that invented the Eccentric Bicylinder to create a therapeutic active-sitting experience that gently encourages your spine to find a more healthy posture while seated.
Road Pitch is a multi-day motorcycling event where motorcyclists with investing, business advising or entrepreneurial experience ride through Vermont stopping in small towns to listen to entrepreneurs pitch their business concepts. Riders provide advice, connect the entrepreneurs with resources where appropriate, and occasionally make an investment in a business opportunity. The ride also promotes Vermont as a terrific place to do business as well as a perfect motorcycling destination with lots of scenic twisting roads, picturesque small towns, and plenty of locally sourced food and beverage. Road Pitch was founded in 2014 by Cairn Cross, Co-founder of FreshTracks Capital.
Source:Road Pitch