News & Events

Throughout the 2020 Rhode Island Business Competition a number of free public events were held to help applicants and potential applicants prepare to do their best.

Date	Event	Description
Oct. 9, 2019	2020 Competition Kick-Off	Former competitors will share their experiences. Details.
Dec. 4, 2019	Rhode Island Elevator Pitch Contest	Established and aspiring entrepreneurs will compete and earn a chance to win cash prizes . Details.
Jan. 8, 2020	Workshop: Define Your Business	Business experts will offer guidance on how to determine if an idea can be a growing business. Details.
Feb. 5, 2020	Workshop: Make Your Business Case	A veteran business builder and investgor will provide guidance on how to present your business idea. Details.
March 4, 2020	Workshop: Find Those Funds	Seasoned entrepreneurs and investors will offer insights and tips on how to get early stage funding. Details.
May 6, 2020	Awards Ceremony	The winner will be announced at a public ceremony. Details.

RI Business Competition Alumni News

Our Alumni Are Achieving...and Thriving. See the video!

ProThera Biologics – 2010 Entrepreneur Track Winner

Established a key alliance for the manufacture of Inter-Alpha Inhibitor Protein (IAIP) with a world leading producer of plasma proteins for clinical use.
Completed two commercial development agreements to advance IAIP into clinical use.
Won $2 million Small Business Innovation Research Fast Track grant from the National Institutes of Health in June 2019 to study a new prognosis assessment test.

Tvar EdTech – 2017 Student Track Winner

Won $30,000 in the inaugural 2018 MassChallenge Rhode Island accelerator.
Won $25,000 grand prize in the 2017 Get Started Rhode Island business pitch competition.

TextUp – 2018 Student Track Winner

Named a 2018 Tech10 Award winner in the Entrepreneur/Start-up category.
Finalist in the 2018 Get Started Rhode Island pitch competition.

PowerDocks – 2018 Entrepreneur Track Finalist

Won the 2018 Electric & Hybrid Marine Industry Innovation of the Year Award for its floating solar power supply dock.

goTeff – 2018 Student Track Finalist

One of 40 teams, out of 100,000 applicants worldwide, to compete in the Hult International Business Prize Accelerator program

Premama – 2011 Student Track Winner

Hired VP of strategy and a controller.
Raised $4.6M. Actively raising more funds.
Launched in CVS and GNC stores nationwide in 2015.
Its four products sell at CVS, GNC, Amazon, and Target.com.

Response Technologies – 2016 Entrepreneur Track Winner

Won SBIR award of $1M for using its technology to improve the U.S. military’s and federal government’s Willard Boat.
Won DoD Manufacturing Technology Innovation Award.
3 full-time, 2 part-time employees.

Mighty Well – 2016 Student Track Winner

Won $250,000 in Babson Breakaway Challenge, to help scale the business in Rhode Island.
Hired 2 full-time, 2 part-time staff, 2 part-time consultants, and 5 interns.
Manufacturing with Pyramid Case Co in Olneyville, and hired McGarry&Sons to help build out a 5-piece capsule collection.

Newport Biodiesel – 2010 Green Track Winner – Now a Competition sponsor!

Employing 35, and growing rapidly.
Now helping 3,000+ New England kitchens manage their cooking oil.
Producing and selling millions of gallons of biodiesel, derived from used cooking oil, annually.

Spotter – 2017 Entrepreneur Track Semi-finalist

Expanded to San Francisco to open first West Coast branch.
Launched new spot acquisition platform Cash positive.

Siren Marine – 2012 Technology Award Winner

Sold more than 1,000 boat monitoring and tracking systems to date.
Raised $1.5 million in seed funding for development of next-generation products.
Signed deal with Vodafone to be Siren’s global cellular provider.
Launched second generation products in Q2 2017.

ShapeUp – 2007 Student Track Winner

Acquired in February 2016 by Virgin Pulse, part of Richard Branson's Virgin Group.

Social Enterprise Greenhouse – 2012 Entrepreneur Track Finalist – Now a Competition sponsor!

Launched its first food accelerator in February 2016.
Introduced its sixth cohort of Impact Accelerator program participants.
Cited as a key element in helping to make Providence a top startup market in the U.S.

StormTree – 2014 Entrepreneur Track Finalist – Now a Competition sponsor!

Now selling nationally – California, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan.
Became an SBA-certified, woman-owned small business.

Maternova – 2011 Entrepreneur Track Finalist

Partnering with a team in Brazil to run a trial of the CRADLE vital signs monitoring device.
Partnering with Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation to introduce the Pratt Pouch to 40,000 HIV-positive mothers in Uganda.
Sending thousands of rapid schistosomiasis test kits to the Philippines to equip a Brown University team.
Partnering with a major humanitarian organization and sending thousands of rapid dengue test kits to their teams for the first time.

CompNet Insurance Solutions – 2014 Entrepreneur Track Winner

On track to write $5 million in premiums in 2017.
Launched a marketing partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.
Established partnerships with the Retail Association of Massachusetts, Retail Association of New Hampshire, Virginia Chamber Commerce, and National Payroll Services.

Neurotecnix

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2016 Entrepreneur Track Finalist

Signed partnership agreements with Psychogenics and another company that is a global leader in animal health care.

XactSense – 2016 Entrepreneur Track Finalist

Raised $200K to launch pilot programs with major cell tower owners, carriers, and engineers in the U.S.
New prototypes and full working systems in use now.
4 full-time employees.

NuLabel Technologies – 2009 Student Track Semi-finalist

Developed national partner network
Named a "Rising Star" by SBANE
Raised more than $5 million from investors.

Splitwise – 2012 Entrepreneur Track Finalist

Named one of Top 100 Free Finance Apps on both iPhone and Android.
Launched a Spanish translation of its product.
Hired its seventh full-time employee.

Zapdot – 2007 Student Track Finalist

Collaborating with Pleasant Dreams, a Dutch game designer, that took the company to conferences, including PAX East in Boston, Boston FIG, PAX Prime in Seattle, and IndieCade in Los Angeles.
5 full time employees.

American Ecotech – 2011 Green Winner

Completed developing the nation’s most advanced truly mobile 4WD air pollution monitoring vehicle.
Working on developing the world’s first environmental testing chamber that is able to mimic any ambient air environment and integrates references sensors in order to test small sensor technologies accurately.
Developed the first versatile data acquisition technologies deemed suitable for networking ambient air monitoring applications under $2,000.

Aten Energy Conservation – 2010 Green Semi-finalist

Since competing in 2010, Aten Energy Conservation has worked on more than 1,000 Rhode Island homes to make them more energy efficient.
Won U.S. Department of Energy and the US Environmental Protection Agency ENERGY STAR ‘Century Club Award’
Purchased a 7,200-square-foot facility moved operations to Pawtucket.

BioIntraface – 2009 Entrepreneur Track Winner

Co-developed a medical device applicator for dispensing its coating technology to create a liquid wound dressing to combat infection.

The Compost Plant – 2015 Entrepreneur Track Finalist

Now serving as Rhode Island's first full-service commercial composting facility.

Dear Kate – 2009 Student Track Finalist

Was the focus of a high profile article in The New Yorker that detailed the ins and outs of doing photo shoots for women’s underwear.

Farsounder – 2002 Entrepreneur Track Winner

Authored an article on forward-looking sonar for Sea Technology.
Received a 2015 Tibbetts Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Grindz – 2014 Entrepreneur Track Semi-finalist

Signed a partnership/branding deal with Strider Sports International, Inc., the world’s premier manufacturer and marketer of efficient, no-pedal balance bikes for all ages and abilities.
Grindz’s protective pants named “a must have for anyone with active children” by examiner.com.
Grindz products called “cool protective gear for kids” by momtrends.com.

Hannah Daye & Company – 2013 Entrepreneur Track Winner

Successfully raised funds via a Kickstarter campaign earlier this year to develop its 2015 fine jewelry collection.
Co-founders Alison Cariati and Haverhill Leach lauded for their business model in ltd blog.

Date	Event
March 30, 2020	Applications due by 5 pm, Eastern time (U.S.)
April 6, 2020	Semi-finalists notified
April 14, 2020	Complete plans due from semi-finalists by noon
April 22, 2020	Semi-finalists make 5-minute presentation to judges; finalists selected
April 29, 2020	Finalists meet with judges
May 6, 2020	Awards Ceremony where all finalists present and winner announced. Details.

RI Business Competition Alumni News

Competition Press Resources