Invest Nebraska Corporation, a non-profit venture development organization, has announced the six finalists of the 2010 East-2-West New Venture Competition. The competition will take place tomorrow (Friday, November 19) at the The Old Mattress Factory Bar & Grill (501 North 13th Street) in Omaha, and is open to the public.
Competition finalists are:
- Dr. Doug Morin and Gayle Novotny-Morin – MedLetters (Omaha)
- Lateef Johnson – Deckerton (Lincoln)
- Cody Butler with Corn Finger (Fremont)
- Thomas M. Welsch, Thomas C. Welsch, and John Welsch – Welsch’s Bale in a Bag (Mitchell)
- Kristin and Michael Johnson – Kristy’s Kitchen (Tekamah)
- Scott Kleeb and Jane Eckert – Energy Pioneer Solutions (Hastings)
Each competitor will present plans for a new business or ideas for expanding an existing business. Up for grabs is a chance at receiving a $50,000 investment from Invest Nebraska in exchange for a minority stake in their business. As with all Invest Nebraska competitions, the winner must locate the business in Nebraska.
Also announced was the judges panel. They are:
Thanks to our sponsor
- Dave Milligan – Director of Invest Nebraska and Founder of Advent IP Law Firm (Omaha)
- John Petersson – COO and Co-Founder of Vendorin (Omaha)
- Todd Johnson – Gallup (Omaha)
- Tim Schnell – Co-Founder of Centrix Solutions (Lincoln)
- Eric Dinger – Founder of Thought District (Lincoln)
- Ben Harris – Director of Invest Nebraska and Co-Founder of Nebraska Heavy Industries (Lincoln)
- Tom Chapman – Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce (Omaha)
Doors will open at 12:30 p.m. for a “meet and greet” with judges and competitors. The competition will kick off at 1:00 p.m. with the first presentation. A public reception is planned following the competition to celebrate the winning business.
To learn more about the East-2-West New Venture Competition visit investnebraska.com.