CASPER, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) – At 5:30 p.m. on April 19, Impact 307 hosted the Casper Start-Up Challenge pitch night. Impact 307 is a statewide network of business incubators to help Wyoming businesses and entrepreneurs thrive. Across Wyoming, Impact 307 hosts seven different start-up challenges.
The Casper Start-Up Challenge was first hosted in 2016, the 2022 competition will host the sixth group of winners. The challenge did not take place in 2020 due to Covid restrictions.
The challenge allows entrepreneurs to put their ideas to the test. Finalists receive business coaching and advising to build their concepts. The 2022 finalists consisted of a larger group than in previous years, judges allowed the sixth entry due to the high level of competition.
“There were over 40 applicants for the Start-Up Challenge, then the staff here narrowed it down to ten semifinalists, and of those ten semifinalists, the judges normally choose five, but they were unable to make a decision so they got it to six this year,” said Impact 307 Casper Director Eric Schlidt.
Infinite Outdoors, Intuitive Surgical Design, and Guardian Warrior Solutions were named the 2022 Casper Start-Up Challenge winners. The three businesses will get the opportunity to present their pitches for up to $50,000 of seed funding.