Pitch Competition winners announced during Governor’s Conference on Business

Ten Business Pitch Competition finalists took to the stage to make a two-minute pitch at the 6th annual Governor’s Conference on Business on Aug. 17 at the Nugget Hotel Casino in Sparks. At the conclusion of the competition, the judges’ panel determined first and second place, and the audience cast their ballots to select the people’s choice award winner.

The winning companies were announced at the conference luncheon awards ceremony and were presented with cash and services packages valued at $31,800 total thanks to the generosity of Business Pitch Competition sponsors AT&T, Microsoft, The Abbi Agency and VAST.

2017 Business Pitch Competition Winners

First place: Classes.Vegas (Las Vegas) — provides a one-stop solution for pre-employment services in the areas of CPR certification, lifeguard certification, alcohol awareness and fingerprinting required to obtain work cards. The company received $5,000 cash and a professional services package valued at $15,800.

Second place: Talage Insurance (Reno) — provides a software-based solution that enables the sale of commercial insurance policies from insurance carriers to small business owners through any digital channel, streamlining the process of comparison and purchase. The company received $2,500 cash and a professional services package valued at $7,300.

People’s Choice: AboveGeo (Reno) — is an aerial services and data company that provides high-resolution geospatial data collection and analysis through leading-edge drone and sensor technologies. The company was awarded $1,000.

Other Competition Finalists

Buzz.Tools (Reno) — a Software as a Service (SaaS) based group advocacy solution for businesses, charities, political causes or any group passionate about their ideas

ClearSpace Aeronautics (Las Vegas) — offers complete drone traffic management for aircraft and cities using a patent-pending technology that facilitates safe drone flight

Comped Marketing (Las Vegas) — an advertising distribution platform powered by artificial intelligence that uses facial recognition, a camera and a digital screen to create customer-tailored ads for audiences within rideshare vehicles

Pb+J Collective (Reno) — a boutique nanny placement service that matches families and childcare providers based upon each individual’s needs

StartUpNV (Las Vegas) — a business incubator that helps entrepreneurs and startup companies throughout the state

Talage Insurance (Reno) — provides a software based solution that enables the sale of commercial insurance policies from insurance carriers to small business owners through any digital channel, streamlining the process of comparison and purchase.

The Fernley Reporter (Fernley) — an online newspaper covering Fernley news, events and sports

TrenLot, Inc. (Reno) — offers automated workflow and project management software coupled with Internet of Things to the construction industry.