Entrepreneurs gain experience and feedback during pitch nights

Four entrepreneurs pitched their ideas for businesses at The Factory on Thursday, Nov. 18, at the fifth in a series of scheduled events to promote entrepreneurism and build a "startup culture" in West Michigan.

Dan Ryan pitched Canvas Hosting, a service that Ryan says "helps entrepreneurs focus on their idea by handling the hosting process." Ryan identified their market as primarily as entrepreneurs and non-enterprise "startups."

Jason James explained his business, Michigan Film Reel, a site that was started nine months prior at a similar event. James was looking for feedback on structuring his operation as a non-profit.

The third person to pitch was Jack Slingerland of CampaignAlytics, an email tracking and analytics service. Having used other campaign services, Slingerland felt his product offered superior analytics at a more affordable price.

The eventual "winner" of the evening, as voted by the attendees, was Nathan Bashaw from Lansing. Bashaw pitched Thoughtback, a business launched at the Lansing Startup Weekend only two weeks prior.

His concept is a web application that allows a user to capture their thoughts, ideas and  inspirations digitally "when they happen," and then access at a later time for follow-up.

At the Startup West Michigan pitch night events, presenters have five minutes to pitch and five minutes for Q & A. For more information you can visit their website.

Sources: Jason James, Nathan Bashaw, Jack Slingerland, Dan Ryan
Writer: John Rumery