The pressure was on at the PitchBR finale as three companies pitched their products to Innovation Catalyst, a non-profit venture development organization. At stake was the opportunity to participate in a private due-diligence phase to receive up to $250,000 from the Catalyst Fund. The three finalists — Lubricity Labs, OfficerReports.com and Memo — made their case for the big prize at The Pelican House as part of Baton Rouge Entrepreneurship Week (BREW) events.
PitchBR brings together business leaders, entrepreneurs, creative thinkers and other leaders to smooth the path to entrepreneurship for the widest audience possible. The event — the sixth since BREW’s inception — gave participants a chance to get feedback and coaching from consultants and other entrepreneurs, as well as practice for selling their concept. The judges — local business leaders Devin Lemoine, Stephanie Riegel and Louis Freeman — evaluated the pitches on their innovation, sustainability, leadership and presentation strength.
Read on to learn more about each firm, including the big winner, Lubricity Labs.
OfficerReports.com
Courtney Sparkman, CEO of OfficerReports.com, started the company in 2013 after working for years in the security industry. OfficerReports.com is a mobile app to help security firms track the activity of their officers. It’s designed to eliminate paper reports and make it easier for vendors, guards and clients to communicate more effectively.
Memo
Memo is a product from Impression Works, which was founded in 2011 by Travis Broussard. Promising “sugar-free fundraising,” Memo makes it possible for people to create photo books, calendars, cards and posters that can be sold for school and nonprofit fundraisers.
Lubricity Labs
Founded by Boyce Clark, Lubricity Labs develops all-natural hair-care products to treat damaged or frizzy hair. Clark says he was inspired to develop products to help his teen daughter deal with hair that got frizzy in high humidity. The judges chose Lubricity Labs as the winner, and Clark says he expects to use the prize money to expand marketing efforts. While Lubricity Labs has gained traction through social media and word of mouth, Clark says he wants to build a more strategic marketing campaign.
