Update, April 22, 2011: Announced today, the finalists in GRA/TAG Business Launch competition are: AuditMyBooks, Soket, Pindrop Security (formerly Telineage) and Viscid Technology. Read the press release here.
##
This month, I’m a judge in the semi-finals round of the GRA/TAG Business Launch 2011.
This will be my fourth year judging the competition and it’s one of my favorite weeks of the year. I love seeing the variety of startups in Georgia. And enjoy learning from the perspective of the other judges.
Over three days, each of the eleven semi-finals companies make a 20 minute pitch to the panel of judges, followed by a 20 minute Q&A session. At the end of each day, the judges discuss their views about each company and summarize feedback for the company about their plan and presentation.
At the end of the three days, judges deliberate and we select 3 to 4 companies to continue to the finals round.
The competition is designed to help a Georgia-based start up technology company launch its business, with the finalists receiving over $400,000 in cash and prizes. Entrants also have the opportunity to be mentored by a successful tech entrepreneur.
Eleven companies have made it to the semi-finals round this month, including:
- Arrivu
- AuditMyBooks
- Merin Mobility
- Nexpense
- Pave Systems
- Soket
- Soneter
- Telineage (info)
- Transaxcion
- TripLingo
- Viscid Technology
Judges for 2011 include:
Preliminary Application Judges:
- Mike Eckert, Chair of Application Screening Judges Team, Executive Chairman, Atlanta Technology Angels
- Adrian Sawczuk, Sr. Manager, Management Consulting, Accenture
- Lawrence Guillory, CEO, Racemi, Inc.
- Melanie Leeth, Vice President, Imlay Investments
- Jeff McConnell, CEO, Whisper Communications
- Richard Spencer, President, R.P. Spencer Company
- Lance Weatherby, ATDC
Semi-Finals Judges
- David Eckoff, Revolutionary Ventures
- Dave Gould, President/CEO, TechOperators
- Mark Greeff, Audit Partner, Grant Thornton
- Vasant Kamath, Director of Business Development, Cox Enterprises
- Jamie Kennedy, Vice President of Business Development, Cox Enterprises
- Sig Mosley, President, Imlay Investments
- Michael Price, CEO Ventures
- Martin Tilson, Managing Partner, The Tilson Group, LLC
- Judy Vitale, President, VitaleCFO
Finals Judges
- Bob Bozeman, General Partner, Angel Investors, LP – San Francisco, CA
- John Glushik, Investment Team, Intersouth Partners – Durham, NC
- Wayne Hunter, Managing Partner, Harbert Management Corporation – Birmingham, AL
- Allen Moseley, Partner, Noro-Moseley Partners – Atlanta, GA
- Tripp Rackley, Senior Vice President, Qualcomm – Atlanta, GA
- Ron Verni
