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