The event wasn’t about strictly-timed presentations or pitching to investors, it was about supporting the hard work behind ideas that have the power to affect our community.
Aksarben Cinema was packed full of entrepreneurs, community builders, friends, family and local startup businesses Thursday night, all in support of the 2015 Straight Shot graduating class.
The night started with networking and delicious food in the Aksarben Cinema lobby. Soon, the crowd made their way into the biggest theater in the cinema to hear from the 7 graduating startups.
Local supporters were elbow to elbow in their seats as presenters from Zinnia, BCD Payment Solutions, Noivox, ES&S, Bric, Assortify and Workhound took the stage. Each pitch focused on who they are, why they got started, their growing pains as a startup, their innovative solutions and how they are different than their competition.
Even though the air conditioning was broken, the companies kept the crowd intrigued with their presentations and subsequent Q & A sessions with judges Dan Houghton, Thad Langford and Kelly Hoey.
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In between the pitches, supporters enjoyed beautiful vignettes of Omaha and were able to learn more about Straight Shot’s mission through quotes from the accelerator’s participants.
The audience felt what could be described as “summer camp vibes” as each startup shared what they learned, their gratitude for their involvement in Straight Shot and their excitement for the future.
“I’m finally able to work on my own stuff and what I love to do. I get to decide where the value is and how to put it together. That’s something I’ve been wanting to do for so long and the fact that I finally get to do it— I’m just excited,” said Nathan Bliss, Co-founder of Zinnia.
After the presentations emcee Matthew Smith of WOWT asked the judges, “If you had to pick one, who would you be investing in?”
The judges concluded that each presentation was unique and none of them could pick one startup that did better than the rest.
“You don’t invest that way, you invest in a portfolio. What excites me about Omaha is that people are not only finding and solving problems here, they are building companies and staying here and it’s great to see that outside New York and the Silicon Valley,” said Kelly Hoey.
The presentations wrapped up with Straight Shot’s Managing Director David Arnold, thanking the audience for their support and sharing his excitement for the future.
“With year 3 officially in the books, I’m confident that we’ve just scratched the surface in terms of our ability to have a huge impact on the Greater Omaha area.”
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Melanie Lucks is an intern for Silicon Prairie News and AIM Careerlink.
