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Fast Pitch qualifying finalists announced

Wednesday 5 November 2008, 9:48AM

By ICEHOUSE

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FAST Pitch
FAST Pitch Credit: ICEHOUSE

The ICEHOUSE is abuzz as FAST Pitch’s 12 qualifying finalists are announced! The entrepreneurs, who will compete in the FAST Pitch FINALS on Wednesday, November 12th, have been narrowed down from the original 75 that attended the first in the three-part event series.

Congratulations to the 12 qualifying finalists selected at last night’s FAST Pitch event (a full list including synopses of ideas are included at the end of this release):

Suzanne Hall, of BE Intent; Fraser Hurrell of Click the Clam; Simon Hatcher of ePST; Kahra Scott-James of GRAHAM; Andrew Crisp of Infogrid Pacific; Nikki Sturrock; Sam Ng of Optimal Workshop; Todd Wackrow of POCKETvouchers; Simon Moore of PUKU; Belinda Gelston of RAVE Build; Des Adams of Ulearn Ucare; and Jon Dean of Wurka Ltd.

Andy Hamilton, CEO of The ICEHOUSE says about the competition, “The ICEHOUSE is incredibly excited about the 12 finalists who will go on to compete in the FAST Pitch competition. It was an incredibly hard job to define the top 12 as the quality of the ideas was excellent. This is what it is all about in taking New Zealand to a new place in the world – some of these ideas are going to be very successful global companies.”

Presented by The ICEHOUSE and co-hosted by UniServices, FAST Pitch is an event series in which entrepreneurs learn what investors are looking for, how to perfect their 60-second elevator pitch, and then in the third event in the series, compete for valuable prizes and the opportunity to pitch directly to investors of their choice.

In addition to narrowing down the finalists, last night’s second session featured speakers Bridget Reeves and Terry Allen, who coached entrepreneurs on what it takes to make the most of 60 seconds; ensuring entrepreneurs have both the presentation skills and quality content to catch the attention of potential investors. In the first session, speakers Joe Rouse and Paul Gardiner, shared their valuable insight on what investors look for from start-up businesses, and how to make your businesses investment-ready.

Seats are almost gone for the Finals Competition being held November 12th. The evening will feature Geoff Ross, Founder & CEO of 42 Below as keynote speaker, followed by our Finals, and then our exclusive Post-Awards Networking Reception where you can rub elbows with local and international business mentors, enjoy a celebratory drink, see what’s new and innovative, and gain valuable access to the money people: investors and venture capitalists.

There are five category awards for the competition, including Best Intellectual Property Idea, Best Funding Opportunity for Investors, Best Presentation Skills, People’s Choice and Best Overall Pitch.

Each category winner will receive:

Cash prize of $1,000 plus BNZ bank account
1 suite of Microsoft software package: Office Professional, Vista Business and One Care, valued at $1,717
1 HP Mini-Note PC, valued at $1,000
1 Telecom T-Stick (C597) Mobile Broadband USB Modem, valued at $349
Escalator Investment Ready Consulting Services, valued at $3,000
The opportunity to pitch to any of the participating investors
A full-year subscription to NZ Business Magazine

The Best Overall Pitch winner will receive three months residency at The ICEHOUSE's leading incubator ICE Accelerator to develop their business dream, valued at $10,500, a Microsoft Small Business Server, and a business strategy session with Boston Consulting Group. The winner of the Best Funding Opportunity will also receive a consultation session with Ernst & Young. In addition, NZ Business Magazine is sponsoring a 6-month subscription to all finalists.

FURTHER DETAILS ON THE FINALISTS’ VENTURES:

Suzanne Hall, of BE Intent; a company dedicated to decreasing absenteeism and repetitive strain injuries whilst improving employee engagement.
Fraser Hurrell of Click the Clam; a company that designs software that engages and teaches autistic children to improve their social connections.

Simon Hatcher of ePST; a company developing software to help health professionals and organizations looking after the growing population of people diagnosed with depression.
Kahra Scott-James of GRAHAM; creating an animated series designed for broadcast using modern and widespread digital mediums.

Andrew Crisp of Infogrid Pacific; a company which provides software and services to generate revenue in the publishing industry within a global digital context.
Nikki Sturrock; designer and inventor of an idea that will revolutionize the lives of amputees living with artificial limbs.

Sam Ng of Optimal Workshop; a company that provides a set of specialized tools to enable software developers a way of getting and following up with feedback from end users.

Todd Wackrow of POCKETvouchers; is a hybrid technology/marketing company bringing efficient marketing tools to advertisers and consumers.

Simon Moore of PUKU; a patent company designed around fastening and locking mechanisms in a wide spectrum of industries including golf, aerospace and consumer industrial.

Belinda Gelston of RAVE Build Management; a company that provides software designed to improve productivity, budget and communications in construction project management.

Des Adams of Ulearn Ucare; a company that aims to measure and improve the effectiveness of medicine management.

Jon Dean of Wurka Limited; Wurka uses web, email and SMS to improving efficiency and solve company’s recruiting, staffing and availability challenges.

For a complete listing of sponsors and investor supporters, and further information on FAST Pitch, or The ICEHOUSE, please visit www.theicehouse.co.nz.

The ICEHOUSE is a business growth centre focused on making a difference for New Zealand. Our founders wanted to help more New Zealand companies to succeed here and internationally. They understood that these success stories would have a significant and long-term impact on New Zealand’s prosperity which is critical to our future.

Since 2001, The ICEHOUSE has worked with 65 start-ups and just under 1,500 established businesses. Its guidance and mentoring has allowed businesses to raise close to $35m for start-ups, while established businesses are growing earnings on average by 31% p.a.