This contest gives participants a chance to make a business pitch, much as if they’d met a funder by chance and wanted to explain their business proposal – with maybe 90 seconds to explain their business. Just as one wouldn’t present a slide deck in an elevator, presenters must speak without PowerPoints and the like. Following the presentations, we’ll take a 10-minute break, during which the judges’ scores will be tabulated. Prizes totaling $1,000 will be awarded to the best presenters!

Pitching Organizations:

• Artisan Joy – Artisan Joy is an independent magazine and online media outlet that amplifies the work of creative entrepreneurs and chronicles the positive impact of art and craft on the community and economy. Artisan Joy features interviews with diverse entrepreneurs from an array of creative disciplines.
• AutoHeal – Solving Physician Burnout with Artificial Intelligence AutoHeal addresses the multi-billion-dollar healthcare crisis of physician burnout by saving each doctor over an hour every day on documentation. The company uses human-centered artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically complete the assessment and plan in physician progress notes based on critical data already provided by the doctor in the electronic medical records. Their large language models adapt to each medical professional’s unique style.
• Build You Marketing – Build You Marketing is a full-service marketing and PR firm that helps small and medium sized companies grow their communities.
• ConnectedCare – ConnectedCare presents a game-changing healthcare innovation—an app that simplifies medical record management. The company’s cutting-edge Natural Language Process AI organizes data into a seamless, user-friendly format. No more juggling paper documents or struggling with disjointed online portals. With their app, accessing your medical history is effortless and secure. Their goal is to revolutionize healthcare coordination.
• Credit Builder – Credit Builder is a platform that increases customers’ credit scores.
• Dopamind’s ParkinPatch – ParkinPatch is a transdermal therapeutic patch for those suffering with Parkinson’s. It is an efficient and safe drug delivery system ensuring time dependent and accurate dosing of Rotigotine. Unlike its competitors, Dopamind’s ParkinPatch is a user-friendly single use weekly drug delivery system that reduces side effects and alleviates the risks associated with other administration methods.
• E-Maps – E-Maps connects electric car drivers with homeowners and hotels for a luxurious stay while charging their vehicles.
• Elcove – Elcove is a line of zero-waste home care products on a mission to make a sustainable and toxic-free lifestyle accessible. Traditional home care products contain harmful chemicals and are packaged in single-use plastic. Elcove offers a zero-waste alternative with reusable glass bottles and compostable refills. Simply mix the pouch with water to create a highly effective product of choice. Unlike tablet refills, their solution ensures high performance with more active ingredients, setting them apart in effectiveness.
• Empanada Assassin – Empanada Assassin is a flavorful journey rooted in Haitian and Martinique heritage. They specialize in crafting over 30 unique empanada flavors that cater to diverse dietary preferences, with a heavy concentration on gluten-free options. Their mission goes beyond food; it’s about creating connections, fostering a sense of belonging, and sharing stories through the universal language of delicious empanadas. With a commitment to Nutrition, Network, and Nostalgia, they aim to not only satisfy appetites but also nourish the soul, bridging cultures and spreading joy with every bite.
• GivGo – GivGo has elevated gift gifting to make it easy, fun, and relevant. Their secret sauce includes excellent customer experiences, digital personalization and brand loyalty wrapped up in their sophisticated Fintech platform. The company’s “micro-gifting” platform enables friends to give preferred and inexpensive ”micro-gifts” that are immediately redeemable, tradable, re-giftable, and exchangeable. Their revenue model is based on transaction fees generated from their user base sending and exchanging micro-gifts across their GivGo technology.
• HealthChain – The process for recruiting human subjects is currently incredibly inefficient – relying largely on human triaging of potential participants and antiquated advertising methods like paper fliers. The HealthChain team is building a series of new processes for recruiting patients for the 21st century – ones that have the potential to change the landscape of the multi-trillion drug development industry and empower both patients and researchers.
• Hocari – Today, laptops come with a hefty price tag, yet most users barely scratch the surface of their capabilities. Hocari is changing the game by introducing a simple, durable laptop designed for cloud computing, complete with a 5G connection and an affordable subscription model. Not only will users enjoy cost savings, but they’ll also contribute to a more sustainable future. Unlike traditional laptops, this innovative solution won’t be found at your local electronics store, and it won’t break the bank.
• Irada – Self-work is hard, but what if discovering your purpose could be fun? Irada is a self-reflective card game meant to be played with friends and family that helps you discover your Ikigai—a Japanese concept referring to the union of passion, mission, profession, and vocation. Irada is integrated with a mobile application that creates a personalized Ikigai profile and allows users to set ‘Iki-goals’ using behavioral change techniques and social incentives.
• Just Breathe – Just Breathe is making a device designed to help anyone looking to reduce the symptoms and impacts of anxiety through breath-work. The company’s mission is to make breath-work as easy as breathing by bringing to market a revolutionary relaxation device that rests comfortably in your mouth and provides airflow cues to guide users through calming breathwork exercises. It provides a non-invasive, non-pharmacological solution to anxiety that is easy to use, portable, and accessible.
• Legacy Archive – Legacy Archive is a first-of-its-kind family oriented, social networking game that is dedicated to preserving generational knowledge. The stories of family heritage are priceless and too many things are left unsaid. This interactive archival game gives users the opportunity to record their story while engaging their family members near and far. Legacy Archive’s AI generative functions will take the user experience to the next level in unprecedented ways.
• Novel Drug Delivery with Optogenetics – Our brains are protected by the blood brain barrier. This effective filtering system keeps us safe but limits our ability to treat brain disorders because drugs have trouble crossing it. Bendo Therapeutics is seeking to exclusively license an optogenetics method to manipulate the blood brain barrier, so that existing Alzheimer’s drugs are more efficacious. This delivery system converts light into movement of specific cells on demand, opening the barrier to deliver drugs to their target.
• OsteoNano – OsteoNano’s aim is to revolutionize the orthopedic implant market. Early intervention for implant associated bone degradation is a key to preventing implant failure. OsteoNano provides a nanoparticle implant coating to capture the degradation-associated molecules before they even have the opportunity to interact with bone tissue. The orthopedic implant market is growing by nearly 6.5% every year, which makes now the time, more than ever, to intervene and mitigate this risk.
• RESO Technologies, Inc. – RESO is an AI-powered case management tool enabling arbitrators and mediators to increase efficiency, decrease data risk, and reduce the time-to-settlement in their practice. The cloud-based solution integrates LLM-based artificial intelligence and cutting-edge, secure workflow management tools to optimize case intake, scheduling, task management, document management, messaging, and financial administration. In an $18B market, RESO’s integrated functionality will increase case capacity and revenue potential per practitioner.
• RI-OTS (Rhode Island – Oceanographic Technology Services) – In response to the UN’s Decade of Ocean Science initiative, RI-OTS offers hybrid-electric research vessels for both coastal and deep-sea exploration in Rhode Island. Addressing the gap between small boats and large research vessels, the company aims to bolster the Blue Economy by providing flexible, advanced marine charter services to meet the rising demands of academic and independent research.
• SynaptoSolutions – SynaptoSolutions aims to revolutionize the treatment of Schizophrenia and Cognitive Dysfunction with a groundbreaking new drug that enhances neural connectivity and cognitive function. This drug could potentially help 20 million patients in the U.S. alone. SynaptoSolutions aspires to extend their impact to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, with the goal of significantly improving the quality of life for individuals struggling with these devastating diseases.
• The LapSnap – includesign is a product design firm creating products for individuals with disabilities. Their flagship product, the LapSnap, is a patent-pending, collapsible carryall designed with and for wheelchair users. The LapSnap sits directly on a wheelchair user’s lap and snaps around the waist, leaving their hands free to maneuver their chair. The LapSnap helps wheelchair users do more tasks independently, such as grocery shopping, going to school or work, and household chores.
• Theragripper – Theragripper is an innovative approach to treat Crohn’s disease-related gastrointestinal inflammation. Utilizing patented drug delivery mechanisms, Theragripper specializes in precisely targeting inflamed tissue for prolonged therapeutic relief, surpassing current standards of care. The company has harnessed research from Johns Hopkins University to create this pioneering solution. This fusion of academic excellence and innovation establishes a compelling investment opportunity, grounded in expertise and forward-thinking science.
• Zmanti – Nearly 50% of women experience long-term incontinence, but just half of that group purchases incontinence products today. The reason is clear: current products are horrible. They are either bulky and uncomfortable adult diapers, or not absorbent enough. And that’s where Zmanti comes in: they are on a mission to enable every woman to live without limits via their stylish and absorbent underwear and incontinence pads, which combine the best of both worlds from current options.

About RI Business Competition

The Rhode Island Business Competition aims to create and foster growth companies in Rhode Island that will increase local employment. It’s all about helping emerging entrepreneurs achieve their dreams.

Established in 2000, the Rhode Island Business Competition is supported by a broad range of sponsors that include private businesses, investors, foundations, colleges and universities, public entities, nonprofit organizations, and former competitors. Today, it is the leading community-supported business plan competition in the Northeast.