i.e.* Startup Competition winners!

You voted, they made it to the next round. Two of these lucky whippersnappers will go home with many thousands of dollars in cash prizes and a bunch of resources to boot.

May 13, 2015; 10:40 AM • by Susan Howson

Update #4 — May 13, 2015; 10:39 AM

IT HAS HAPPENED!

Congrats to PartyRVA, the 2015 Region’s Next Best Startup!

And congrats to CodeVA, the 2015 Best Social Innovation Startup!

Both won $10,000 to put towards their business, and we are immensely proud. Side note: both were extremely pleasant to work with on the Best Startup finalist and the Best Social Innovation Startup finalist roundups!

Bonus: Ginger Juice won the people’s favorite (it also won the Most Delicious award that my heart gives), and took home $2,500. More juice for all!

Congratulations to all winners and all the other finalists!

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Update #3 — April 27, 2015; 9:03 AM

On Friday, the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce announced its 14 finalists for the 2015 i.e.* Startup Competition. Is the one you voted for on this list? DID YOU VOTE?!

If you didn’t, you missed out on a bunch of really solid ideas…and some that maybe were less solid. It’s all relative, maybe, right? But now, on Tuesday, May 12th, you’ll have a chance to attend the final round, in which the below list of startup finalists will make a public pitch, undergo another round of voting, and wring their hands backstage–all while you drink a lot of wine!

Finalists for Best Startup

• Before3, Inc.
• Ginger Juice
• Marilyn & Michelle
• MedNav, Inc.
• PartyRVA
• Richmond Rides Bicycle Tours
• SecuriChecks

Finalists for Best Social Innovation Entrepreneur

A new category this year, sponsored by The Community Foundation.

• BrushForGood.org
• CodeVA
• News Network Jr.
• Teer’d
• Uvest Solar
• VocalLocal
• WatchForChange

2015 i.e.* Startup Competition

• Tuesday, May 12th • 6:00 PM
• Carpenter Theatre, 600 E. Grace Street
• Free!

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Update #2 — April 22, 2015; 4:00 PM

The nominations are in! RVA has selected 54 local startups to vie for $10,000 (and some other benefits). But you’ve only got until tomorrow’s end to vote!

Finalists will be announced on Friday, April 24th.

Vote now! Or forever feel like you did not influence a career!

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Update #1 — April 15, 2015; 1:37 PM

If you’ve got a percolating idea that’s sure to become The Next Top Richmond’s Startup, you really should submit an application to this year’s i.e.* Startup competition.

All that’s required of you is a description of your nascent company and its logo. Applications are due on Monday, so you have the entire weekend to suss out the details and polish everything to a perfect, gleaming shine. With $10,000 on the line for the top prize, what have you got to lose?

Read below for a few more details, and go forth and apply!

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Original — April 06, 2015

Fun fact! Did you know that the i.e.* Startup Competition, the Greater Richmond Chamber’s popular entrepreneurial affair, was only supposed to happen thrice? 

Good news for all of the self-motivated folks who thought they missed the boat! i.e.* is bringing the Startup Competition back for an encore year. Not only that, but the good folks at the Chamber (as well as the sponsors involved) are expanding the prize kitty. 

Now, B-corps and other socially conscious organizations are eligible for the Best Social Innovation Startup award (a cool $10,000). Along with the regular Region’s Best Startup award ($10,000) and the $2,500 People’s Choice award, that’s $22,500 in cash prizes. That’s in addition to the free resources (like working spaces) donated by their sponsors, the connections made, and the press their fledgling companies get.

Last year’s winner, Tenant Turner, benefited from the boost. But so did the other nominees–not just because press outlets like us profiled them, but their participation in the process gave them a chance to practice their pitch on the 600 attendees of the live competition.

From the Chamber:

Entrants must be based in the Richmond Region and either have a viable startup concept or already have launched a startup within the last year. Contestants can enter the competition by submitting a summary of their business idea and a logo at ie-rva.org by April 20, 2015.

Mark your calendars, entrepreneurs

• Applications will be accepted through April 20th, 2015 at ie-rva.org.
• Online public voting will occur April 21st – 23rd, 2015 at ie-rva.org.
• Finalists are announced on April 24th, 2015.
• The live competition will be May 12th, 2015, at 6:00 PM at Richmond CenterStage.

May 13, 2015 10:40 AM 0 4 updates