Participants have been selected for a pitch competition that is trying to encourage business development on both sides of the Savannah River.
No Boundaries, sponsored by theClubhou.se, is set for April 23rd at the Amentum Center in Aiken.
“We had 57 applications for No Boundaries, and we had startups all the way from Austin to Maryland that applied,” Eric Parker, founder of theClubhou.se, told ABD. “What blew me away was that we had one period where we had 40 applications come through in 24 hours.”
From the 57 applications, nine were chosen to compete, including three from the Augusta area.
- CraftedCV, Michael Townsend: CraftedCV is an AI-driven resume automation platform specifically designed for busy tech professionals.
- Private Sector Clearance: Chuck McKee – TrustVault™ is a trust verification platform that redefines credibility for the private sector.
- Innit2winniTgaming: William Henry Herrin – Innit2winniTgaming combines mobile app integration with a holographic arcade machine to offer a unique gaming experience.
At stake is $20,000 in prize money, $10,000 for first place, $3,000 for second, and $2,000 for third. There will also be a $5,000 cash prize from the South Carolina Research Authority for the top company based in the Palmetto State.
Parker said the goal is twofold. First, to give start-ups and entrepreneurs the chance to pitch their ideas to gain exposure. The other is to demonstrate how capital for business development can cross state lines.
“Overall, the capital landscape in the southeast is not very strong, and so having an opportunity to get in front of investors and win $10,000 with no strings attached, it’s a big deal for a lot of businesses,” he explained. “We have such a wide range of technologies that people are developing and building, and they’re at various stages. Some of them are just getting a little bit past the idea stage and show a lot of promise, but some of them are beginning to show some traction around their product.”
The response was so large, Parker said, they decided to add a second component. It will be a startup showcase to highlight businesses with ideas that just need to mature. There will be 20 startups presenting their idea in the showcase, including Sharon Martin with Managed Nerds, Thelonious Jones with TVNow, InfluenceHER Business Solutions presented by Marquitta Rucker, and Maycie Moore’s MM Creations.
Wells Fargo Bank is the grand sponsor of No Boundaries with a $25,000 contribution through its longstanding relationship with HACK Augusta, the parent organization for theClubhou.se and Make Startups.
A VIP reception will be held with Meta providing a $5,000 sponsorship, spokeswoman Stacey Yip confirmed for ABD.
“We are deeply committed to our data center communities, and it’s so important for us to give back to the communities where we live and work,” she said. “This type of community involvement is exactly what you can expect to see from us in the future as we look for opportunities to partner with schools and local organizations on programs and resources that help build skills and increase the use of technology.”
The event starts with a VIP breakfast and panel discussion at Newberry Hall at 9:30 a.m. before moving to the Amentum Center for the presentations.
Tickets to attend the VIP events are $150.00, and ticketholders will vote on the winning presentations. General admission tickets to the competition are $50.00.
More information and to purchase tickets at www.noboundaries.io/attend
The full list of sponsors:
Grand Sponsor
- Wells Fargo
Investment Partners
- Aiken Chamber of Commerce
- South Carolina Research Authority
- PD Newsom Private Capital, LLC
VIP Sponsor
- Meta
Event Partners
- Make Startups
- VentureSouth
- Western SC
- Augusta Business Daily
