The Wyoming Technology Business Center (WTBC), a business development program of the University of Wyoming with business incubators in Laramie, Casper, and Sheridan will continue to build upon the successes of their Casper Start-Up Challenge with a third year of the competition and another $50,000 fund to seed Casper.
“Every year the applicants to the Startup Challenge get better and better.” says Jerad Stack, director of the Casper Area WTBC. “Just narrowing down to our 11 semi-finalists was difficult, and we are really excited to introduce the community to our 5 finalists.”
The finalists businesses and entrepreneurs for the 2019 Casper Start-Up Challenge are: On The Spot (Michael Harshman), Symmetry Trailers (Adam Pauli), Piggyback Cocktail (Amber & Chad Pollock), NevRA (Austin Griess), and Rieker Designs (Marcus Rieker, Clayton Alleman, Mason Johnson)
Justin Farley, CEO of Casper Area Economic Development Alliance / Forward Casper, who served as one of the Judges for the Startup Challenge added “The energy, passion, and commitment demonstrated by all the semifinalists was infectious! Casper clearly has the entrepreneurial spirit, ideas and motivation to diversify the local economy if given the chance.”
These finalists will now work with WTBC staff and mentors from the community to develop their businesses over the next two months, culminating in a final pitch day held November 7th at The Lyric. Three winners will be selected by a panel of judges, each will receive $5,000, one year of free rent at the WTBC and be eligible to apply to the $50,000 seed fund. Pitch day is open to the public and everyone is encouraged to come and support these entrepreneurs.
The Casper Start-Up Challenge is made possible thanks to sponsorship from; CAEDA/Forward Casper, Hilltop National Bank, Oil City News, First Interstate Bank and WIDC Frontier CDC. For more information on the Casper start-up challenge, please contact Jerad Stack at 307-315-6401 or jstack@uwyo.edu.
