FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                   Media Contact: Dan Girouard

October 13, 2022                                                    757-727-6237; dgirouard@hampton.gov

 

Last night, the third and final set of finalists for the 2022 Start Peninsula was announced following an online Micro Pitch Competition. The finalists were eZverifi, Hemo-stat Vitamins, and Spare Change. In total, ten pitchers participated.  To watch a recap of the Micro Pitch # 3 event, you can visit the Start Peninsula YouTube Channel.

  • eZverifi: A multi-layered verification platform for individuals to authenticate strangers in minutes.
  • Hemo-stat Vitamins: Vitamins are designed to rapidly increase hemoglobin levels in a short period of time, especially for patients having cosmetic surgery as they are required to have certain hemoglobin levels.
  • Spare Change: An app that allows people to donate money to non-profits and save money via roundups, weekly contributions, and one-time contributions for mental health organizations and awareness.

Each finalist will receive a $500 prize and the chance to participate in the Thursday, November 10th Main Pitch Event, where they will have an opportunity to win $5,000 to support their business growth and continuing access to local resources.  If you want to pitch your business idea at an upcoming Micro Pitch event, you can apply to pitch here.

The championship Start Peninsula Competition will be held on Thursday, November 10th. The event is free and open to the public to watch this year’s top nine entrepreneurs pitch their businesses. The main pitch event will feature last night’s winners as well as the six companies that are already qualified to participate: Aunt Carol’s Sauce, ChxmpionChip, Dollars X Sense, Edenic Energy, NerdFlex, and SmartCrane.

Judges for the third Micro Pitch Competition included:

  • Jeff Johnson, Director, Tech Center Research Park
  • William McPheat, Virginia Small Business Development Center Innovation Commercialization Assistance Program (ICAP)
  • Beau Turner, CEO of 757 Makerspace

Start Peninsula 2022 is hosted by the City of Hampton in partnership with the Cities of Newport News, Williamsburg, and Poquoson and the Counties of James City and York. Start Peninsula has been held annually in different Peninsula localities since 2012. For more information about Start Peninsula, please visit its website, Facebook page or the FAQ page.