TiFiber and Sweet Freedom Creamery snag awards at NWA G60 pitch contest

Two local entrepreneurs came out winners in the G60 Pitch Contest in Bentonville, Thursday, August 25. Thirty-two presenters pitched to a crowd of 150 entrepreneurs, creatives and community supporters at GRIT Studios in Bentonville. Each winner took home a prize of $1,000.

TiFiber took the Judge’s Choice Award. The company develops high-performance products and materials that help control harmful microorganisms. The Fayetteville-based company is a member of the VIC Technology portfolio.

The presentation by Chief Scientist Mike Rutherford was entitled “Kick Ass Antimicrobial Agent.”

Sweet Freedom Creamery took home the People’s Choice Award. Sweet Freedom Creamery is an artisan cheese company owned by Jessica Keahey in Northwest Arkansas. Keahey’s team celebrated the win with a demo of the company’s house-made mozzarella cheese to the G60 audience.

The G60 Pitch Contest is hosted by Startup Junkie in events across the state of Arkansas. Presenters get 60 seconds or less to pitch their products or company to a panel of judges. The judges vote on a winner for a price of $1,000. In addition, the audience votes for a winner which also received $1,000.

The contests are a great way to showcase a product or company as well as network for potential investors, team members or customers.

“You don’t have to think of yourself as an entrepreneur in order to sign up for a G60 Contest,” says Haley Cleous, Executive Consultant at Startup Junkie Consulting. “The G60 could be an opportunity for you to validate that you have a great idea and make connections needed to push it forward.”

According to Startup Junkie, the next G60 will take place at NWA BizCon in Rogers on November 1.