Ten entrepreneur hopefuls made their business pitches to a four-judge panel for a chance to win financial help and get feedback on their ideas.
It was a mixed bunch of presenters at the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce Pitch It and Win It event Saturday - an artisan Italian gelato and sorbetto food truck, an auto-detailing business, pathogen detecting technology marketed for food companies and a craft studio that offers an array of classes.
Everyone walked away with a little extra financial support from the event sponsor RMI, a nonprofit that provides 504 business loans. The company pledged $5,000 but ultimately gave $11,000 in aid to the businesses.
This year's winners are:
$2,000-prize winners: Don Irwin, Love My Gelato; Douglas Wright and Damien Long, Doug's Auto Detailing, Inc; and Bret Volmert and Elijah Sharpe, Nanotechnovate.
$1,000-prize winners: Terry Donner, Rent Ready; Suzanne Rousch, DIY Creative Studio; Kim Harrison, 2BuyAg; Kayla Wilbers, EwToNew Renovation; and Jody Wagner, J Wag-Bags.
Leslie Tanner, with Central Bank, has helped judge the event for several years. She sees the business plans beforehand, but the paper version doesn't match watching people's passion for their business.
"We don't want to make them nervous; we just want to encourage them to come out," Tanner said, "and give them feedback after the event too, if they want it."
As a judge, she wanted to see people sell their plan to the panel with their love and passion for their ideas. Judges scored each presenter based on clarity, credibility, purpose, realism and passion.
"If we can get just five companies started up, that would be great," she said.
Irwin with Love My Gelato was inspired to make his own artisan gelato and sorbetto with fresh, locally-sourced ingredients after touring Italy with his wife on a business trip. Gelato separates itself from ice cream on three main levels - it has less butterfat, is churned with less air, and is made and kept at a slightly warmer temperature.
He studied the art of making gelato, purchased commercial kitchen equipment and a food truck he plans to take to festivals, fairs and other area events. His long-term plan would be to have his products in local shops and potentially have a brick-and-mortar storefront.
Irwin said he would use the money to buy a brand wrap for his food truck.
Volmert and Sharpe with Nanotechnovate sought money to help pay for their pending patent for a device that can be used in-house by food companies to test their products for food-borne pathogens. The pair said their device was part of a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant and has better capabilities than their competitors.
The device was about the size of a graphing calculator and would sell for roughly $6,000 - far less expensive than their competitors, Sharpe said. What really separates it from other devices is companies can use it at their location by running their own culture test - which takes two to eight hours - and will then get instant results from the device about the product they've tested. Companies currently ship out their samples for testing and have a two- or three-day turn around for results, he said.
Volmert and Sharpe said they've had a lot of interest in their product from companies like Diamond Dog food that said the instant turn-around of results would save them a lot of money. It's also aimed as a prevention method to protect consumers from potentially harmful pathogens. Companies can test their products before shipping them out instead of having to recall them if deemed unsafe after being sold.
Pitch It and Win It is just one event hosted by the Start-up Jefferson City Committee of the chamber of commernce, Tanner said. In the spring, they invite businesses to a resources fair that offers everything from help with city permitting to marketing.