Local Tech and Innovation Entrepreneurs Pitch Businesses

Elm City entrepreneurs focused on technology and innovation participated in a "Shark Tank"-style pitch night on September 10, hosted by The Community Foundation Mission Investments Company (TCFMIC).

Nearly 100 attendees gathered at ClimateHaven for a evening celebrating New Haven’s talent and innovation. The event was full of energy, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit.

"At the end of the day, it’s not just a lack of mind that limits capital and funding,” Sana Shaikh, TCFMIC business development specialist, said to the Yale Daily News. “It’s access. It’s resources and long-term investments.”

Each entrepreneur delivered in succinct three-minute presentations to the packed room, followed by a three-minute round of questions from the panel of expert judges: Dr. Colleen Bielitz, AVP of Strategic Initiatives and Outreach at Southern Connecticut State University, Mark Hayles, CEO of Better Local Capital, and Ted Dinsmore, president of SphereGen Technologies.

The first place prize of $7,500 went to Nupur Garg for her business Pro-Patient Tech, an app designed to help patients navigate the clinical setting, using "the world's first structured database of referenced, evidence-based lifestyle prescriptions."

Nadia Ahmad won second place and $4,500 for Mudder AI, a disaster management tool that combines AI with real-world data "to save lives, protect infrastructure, and create resilient communities worldwide." Devonne Canady of Melanin Microchips took home third place and a prize of $3,000.