Spark Your Startup Business Pitch Awards Top Three

By Leah Baker | August 26, 2014

Winners of the first annual 'Spark Your Startup' Business Pitch Contest in Barnesville, Minn. have been awarded cash prizes! First place - $1,000 was awarded to Josh Christy of Booth, second place - $500 was presented to Renee Lura and Mike Mitchell with Infuse Solutions and third place - $250 was handed to Robert Kringler with Userve. Userve also won the People’s Choice award and an additional $250, which was decided upon by public online voting. Other business startups that rounded out the top five finalists were Snapdocs, and DinnerTies.

SparkYourStartUpAll entries are the in the pre-revenue stage of business and filled out an online application to enter the contest. Applicants were evaluated, and narrowed down to the top five. On Friday, Aug. 22, these business startups made their pitch in front of a panel of contest sponsor judges at Barnesville’s historic Old City Hall. Each startup had five minutes to give their presentation, and judges had four minutes to ask questions, before scoring each entrant.

Judges were impressed with the quality of entrants and congratulated all the finalists on the caliber of their ideas. “You all are a shining example of capitalism in action,” said judge and sponsor Jeff Berg, owner of Crown Appraisals. “We don’t always realize that people in other countries don’t have these opportunities. Starting your own business is the American dream.”

Barnesville Business Pitch sponsors are Stoneridge Software, Dean’s Bulk Service, Crown Appraisals and the Barnesville Economic Development Authority.


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