2010 Five-Minute Pitch Contest
Judges' Winner: VitaSpider.com (currently beta product development stage) won the $2,500 prize awarded by the expert panel of judges. Nicolas Xu, CEO of VitaSpider.com, described the company as a SAAS network focused on the financial accounting-related process automation. Xu believes accounting departments in small and mid-sized businesses are a waste of resources and with proper data integration and service aggregation, he can reduce accounting costs by at least 50% for SME, meanwhile increasing accuracy and reliability of their financial information.
Audience's Winner: EndoSphere Surgical, Inc. won over the audience and collected a $500 prize. Mel Prenovitz, CEO of EndoSphere Surgical, Inc., talked about how Laparoscopic surgery is best performed with a "triangulated" angle of view of the surgical site for depth perception and hand-eye coordination, typically accomplished by an endoscope. The image is viewed from one perspective while the instruments enter from another. The EndoSphere approach eliminates incision ports while allowing surgeons to regain full visual field with enhanced dexterity and improved cosmetic outcomes.
2010 Judges (titles and affiliations as of 2010)
- Anita Ballesteros, Ph.D. – Licensing Officer, UMass Medical School Office of Technology Management
- Graham Brooks – Principal, .406 Ventures
- Mitchell Sanders, Ph.D. – Founder, ECI Biotech
- Steve Snyder – Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Gesmer Updegrove, LLP
- Edmund J. Walsh, J.D. – Shareholder, Wolf Greenfield and Sacks, P.C
Last modified: April 11, 2012 14:16:18