5 Minute Pitch

2019 5-Minute Pitch Contest

Why Attend:

• Watch eight top companies pitch in a "Shark-Tank" style competition
  
• Network with investors, service providers and business leaders
• Learn what investors are looking for from entrepreneurs
  
• Talk with many other startups displaying their product/service at the Innovation Showcase

This is The Venture Forum’s 13th Annual 5-Minute Pitch Contest. It has been incredibly powerful in getting startups the outlet that they need to advance their business to the next level. In the last 5 years, three 5-Minute Pitch CEOs have been chosen by Forbes magazine as their "30 Under 30" award recipients.

Eight (8) companies chosen by our first round judges will have exactly 5 minutes to pitch for the audience and judges, and 5 minutes to answer judges' questions. In addition, the room will have approximately 20 other businesses displaying their ideas in an Innovation Showcase before the event and during networking time.

Deadline for applications to pitch was February 28th. Applications are being evaluated by first round judging and will receive coaching/mentoring prior to the event.  All applicants are eligible to participate in the Innovation Showcase April 23 during the event. 

Meet the Finals Judges:

	Paul G. Silva - A lifelong entrepreneur and educator passionate about helping people & teams create economic prosperity through innovation. Through his career he has had the privilege and joy to inspire thousands of people to innovate, help hundreds of startups launch, and see those startups create a tenfold increase in local startup activity.
	David Fogel is Managing Director of Swifton CFOs LLC, an outsourced CFO firm that provides emerging businesses with strategic and cost-effective financial leadership. David has been an active presenter and panelist with TechStars, MassChallenge, CleanTech Open, The Venture Forum, Greentown Labs, MIT Enterprise Forum Smart Start Program, M2D2 and YouthCities. He is also an active member of the screening and due diligence committees of Beacon Angels, TiE Boston Angels and Mass Medical Angels. David also is an Adjunct Instructor at Northeastern University and WPI. linkedin.com/in/dafogel
	Laurie McPhee is currently a Managing Director at Golden Seeds, an early stage investment firm with a focus on women leaders. Through Golden Seeds work, she is a Board of Directors Observer with NextShift Robotics. She is also a member of the Big Brother/Big Sister (Lowell, MA) Advisory Board following 10 yr. engagement as a Big Sister. Her prior experience features 30+ years project and program leadership in the hi-tech, defense electronics industry encompassing program execution and growth strategies for aerospace defense electronics and broadband commercial electronics. Her expertise centers on technology development, planning and execution, strategic planning and operational efficiencies. Her industry career, from which she is now retired, included leadership roles in both Raytheon Company and BAE Systems She also led advanced technology development teams through concept development and demonstration supporting next gen programs. Gaining commercial exposure she took a leadership role in a corporate spinout to launch and sell commercial satellite based systems into an international market with foreign partners. She holds a MS from MIT Sloan in the Management of Technology.
	David C. Dlesk is an entrepreneurial life sciences senior executive with experience in general management, new business development, sales and marketing, product development and manufacturing and a member of Mass Medical Angels. He is currently Co-founder and Managing Director of Intrepid Life Sciences, where he works with inventors and investors to create valuable medical device, biotech and pharma businesses. He has held key leadership positions as CEO in five start-ups, corporate officer of two public biotech companies, President of a $200 million subsidiary of a multi-billion dollar global medical device company, consultant to a number of life science and technology companies and board member of three companies.