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Finalists selected for Venture Sharks competition for startups

Final round May 3

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (April 13, 2017) — Four finalists have been selected for the 2017 Venture Sharks finals, to be held May 3 at the Muhammad Ali Center.

Presenters will be allowed a few minutes to describe their idea to the judges, who then will fire off questions to the presenters in the style of the popular television show, “Shark Tank.”

The winner will receive $37,000—up from $23,000 last year—in cash and prizes to help them take their idea to market. The winner will be selected based on the viability of their idea, the ability of the final award to positively impact the business and the quality of their presentation.

Also, a new Audience Participation Crowdfunding Campaign will go to a company chosen by the audience via a text message vote during the finals event.

Judges are: Bob Saunders, general partner, OCAVentures; Elizabeth Rounsavall, growth capital consultant, Rounsavall Investments LLC; Lou Kelmanson, president, Kelmanson Holdings LLC; and Vik Chadha, managing director, GlowTouch Technologies.

Finalists:

  • Herelancer, an online community that connects entrepreneurs, businesses and organizations with creative talent in their local market
  • Lifebit, winner of Startup Weekend Louisville and the developer of a fire alarm alert system for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • Meta Construction Technologies, a construction-tech firm that gives control to the asphalt industry with an innovative fleet management and dispatch software solution, BlackTop
  • Toggle Health, manufacturer of a patented device that connects surgeons to their pre-operative and mobile data from the sterile field of the operating room