UW’s Casper Start-Up Challenge Announces Pitch Night April 19

IMPACT Casper has scheduled the 2022 Casper Start-Up Challenge Pitch Night at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, at The Lyric, located at 230 W. Yellowstone Highway. Doors open at 5 p.m.

Six local entrepreneurs will pitch their business ideas to a panel of five judges who will choose three winners. The winners will be eligible to apply to a seed fund for working capital.

IMPACT 307 is a business development program of the University of Wyoming with business incubators in Laramie, Casper, Cheyenne and Sheridan.

“I am very excited about the progress the companies have made in the last few months,” says Eric Schlidt, director of IMPACT Casper. “Each year, we see these companies come up with solutions that will hopefully continue to benefit Wyoming and beyond. I can’t wait for Casper to see these companies show their innovative ideas.”

Pitch Night will feature these finalist companies:

— ACS Juices, founded by Anna Studer, is a cold-pressed juice business that provides a delicious and convenient way to drink pure fruits and vegetables. Cold-pressed juice is an excellent option for people with busy schedules who want to maintain healthy habits.

— Deer Creek Arms, founded by Jadon Williams, is a company that provides simple, durable and effective firearms solutions.

— Guardian Warrior Solutions, founded by Preston Atwood, features a flagship item, The Raptor Adaptor, that was created to bridge the gap in modularity for an operator’s first-line gear, or gun belt. The Raptor Adaptor allows users to fully customize their MOLLE pouches in a way that has never been allowed previously.

— Infinite Outdoors, founded by Sam Seeton, is an advanced tech platform to connect private landowners and sportsmen for exclusive hunting and fishing access on a day-rate basis. The company app also has advanced mapping features to help any outdoorsman better explore and enjoy the outdoors.

— Intuitive Surgical Design, founded by Tim Ficken, is a medical device and surgical instrument design company. The company’s goal is to provide simple solutions to procedural complexities.

— Picture My Story, founded by Audrey Jeans, equips photographers with a complete system to break into the lucrative storybook market. The company’s business model enables photographers to create and sell custom storybooks that feature their clients’ portraits as the illustrations.

Each finalist company will be given 20 minutes to present and answer questions from the judges. 

Members of the judging panel are Justin Farley, CEO of Advance Casper; Nicholas Grooms, CPA and shareholder of Grooms and Harkins PC; Mary Doherty, president of Wyoming Capital Access; Rachel Chadderdon, dean of the School of Business, Industry and Workforce Development at Casper College; and Shawn Houck, CEO of Upslope Media LLC.

Following the pitches, IMPACT Casper will host a reception at The Lyric where the three winning teams will be announced.

“We will have a $1,500 Audience Choice Award that will be determined 100 percent by the audience,” Schlidt says. “So, I encourage everyone to come down and vote for your favorite company and support these entrepreneurs.”

The Casper Start-Up Challenge sponsors include UW, Advance Casper, First Interstate Bank, Hilltop Bank, TW Foundation and Wyoming Capital Access.

IMPACT 307 is a statewide network of innovation-driven business incubators committed to growing and strengthening Wyoming’s entrepreneurial community by providing resources and support for founders to thrive.

For more information about IMPACT Casper, call (307) 315-6420 or email casper@uwyo.edu.

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