Louisiana Startup Prize Announces Top 5 Entrepreneurs to Compete in Final Event

The final five finalists competing for the $70,000 Grand Prize have been announced.

Louisiana Startup Prize is in it's final phase for 2015. The finalists competing for the grand prize of $70K in the final event were announced last night at Rhino Coffee.

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Louisiana Startup Prize Investor Judges Select Top 5 Entrepreneurs to Compete in Final Event

Startup Prize set to announce the five entrepreneurs who will compete for ultimate Grand Prize of $25,000 in cash and $45,000 in prizes.

SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER, La. – The Louisiana Startup Prize (www.LaStartupPrize.com), “The Most Amazing Entrepreneurial Competition on the Planet,” announced the five finalists who will be competing in the final event of the Louisiana Startup Prize (an event called the Startup Prize FINAL FINAL) to a packed house on August 27.

In its second year, the Startup Prize hosted 82 registered startups, two of which were international, for the Qualifying Events that took place in April, May and July. To qualify as a Startup Prize finalist, the entrepreneurs had to attend at least one out of three of the qualifying events.

“This was a banner year for the Startup Prize,” said Gregory Kallenberg, executive director of the Startup Prize. “The startups and participating entrepreneurs are incredible, and they brought an energy to the Startup Prize that was amazing!”

During the FINAL FINAL, the five finalists will be competing for the Grand Prize of cash and services equaling over $70,000. The Grand Prize includes $25,000 cash, $10,000 worth of marketing services from Williams Creative Group, $10,000 of accounting services from Heard, McElroy and Vestal, one free year of office space provided by the American Tower and a $5,000 corporate video provided by Fairfield Studios. Aneca Federal Credit Union will also be offering each of the finalists access to $100,000 of financing for business expenses. The most exciting aspect of the FINAL FINAL is that the Startup Prize Investor Judges (a group primarily consisting of investors) have the opportunity to invest further into any of these final projects. See below for a list of the top 5 finalists.

“What makes the Startup Prize different is that, essentially, all of our finalists can win by earning an investment from our investor panel,” said Kallenberg.

The La. Startup Prize (www.LaStartupPrize.com) is an incredibly unique concept that has combined entrepreneurial education with the intensity of a competition. The Startup Prize’s main goal is to develop better entrepreneurs, connect them with investors and help create an entrepreneurial culture in northwest Louisiana. In addition to the grand prize, participants and their businesses gain exposure to potential investors.

The highly competitive, highly exclusive Startup Prize FINAL FINAL event will kick off with a public event mixer on Friday, Sept. 11th. Entrepreneurs will spend their day on Saturday, September 12, presenting their concepts to the Startup Prize’s Investor Judges, a select group of investors and consultants, and end the evening with a pitch event called the Startup Prize Coliseum. The $50,000 winner will be announced on Sunday, Sept. 13th at a public brunch ceremony. An official agenda and ticket information for the Startup Prize FINAL FINAL will be released soon.

Startup Prize Finalists

1. Beau Vodka-Premium vodka sold in a fleur de lis bottle.
● Tim Sabo, Dallas, TX

2. Innolyzer Labs-A lab on a chip product that can detect Hydrogen Sulfide accurately, quickly, and cost-effectively.
● John Chidlow, Shreveport, LA

3. Nanopore Diagnostics-A point of care test that will diagnose bacterial infections quickly in an attempt to reduce antibiotic prescription misuse.
● Tom Cohen, St. Louis, MO

4. RNvention-A multi-purpose tool that is designed for hospital nurses and combines several medical instruments into one, easy to use device.
● Wayne Nix, Lafayette, LA

5. Tri-D Dynamics-Metal 3D printed rocket engines that are designed to cost-effectively commercialize rocket launches.
● Deepak Atyam, Los Angeles, CA

Contact Sabrina Adsit 318-213-6437 or visit www.LaStartupPrize.com to enter and learn more information about the La. Startup Prize.