A crowd of more than 60 people filled the room last night for the first Des Moines incarnation of the Creative Capital Pitch Session. The event kicked off with a presentation by Steven Smith of Des Moines-based GCommerce. Steven shared his experiences in raising capital throughout his career and advised the contestants on the what makes for a great pitch.
Next, the eight contestants pitched their ideas to the audience while our three judges, Craig Jackman of Paragon IT Professionals, JD Geneser of LWBJ Financial, and Michael Bird of Spindustry Interactive, looked on. Those judges narrowed the field to their top three choices based on a combination of pitch delivery and the value, viability and originality of the idea:
- Abbie Shipton of Mobile Ad Network Targeting Moms
- Thad Reeves and Eric Crawford of Golf Database
- Alexander Grgurich of Brewspace: DSM
Each audience member was then asked to vote for one of the three finalist as the prize winner. Alexander’s pitch of Brewspace: DSM received the most votes and he was awarded the $1,000 prize by Paragon.
Everyone at Silicon Prairie News wishes to thank those who participated in the event. We’re both honored and excited by the volume of pitches submitted, the large number of attendees who came out last night and the quality of people who donated their time to speak and judge the pitches.
Thanks to our sponsor
In addition to those mentioned above, I’d like to personally thank Leann Jacobson and Jennifer O’Connor of the Technology Association of Iowa and John Myers of Paragon IT Professionals for all their help in putting on the event as well Dos Rios for serving as the venue.
Here are a few interviews Danny Schreiber grabbed after the event:
