The Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation (BCIC) announced the winners of the 2021 StartUp Texas Pitch Summit following the closing of the second annual event on Thursday. To date, the program has assisted 10 startups in the area, along with a wide range of COVID-19 relief grants and programs.
“We are happy to announce that StartUp Texas has not only invested in 5 startups from our last pitch summit, but helped provide support to over 1500 at risk employees, over $400,000 in covid relief, and over $9 Million in federal aid all in the last 12 months,” said Michael J. Limas, Chair of the Board for BCIC. “We are focused on investing in the human capital of our community and commercializing scalable businesses right here in the Rio Grande Valley”
The event included an esteemed judging panel composed of John Hanak, Managing Director for Purdue Ventures at the Purdue Foundry; Krista Covey, President of First Flight Venture Center and Hanger6 in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park; Trey Mendez, Local lawyer, Founder of Dodici Pizza + Wine, and Mayor for the City of Brownsville; and Jennifer Serrano, Founder of Jen Zeano Designs and an inaugural StartUp Texas Pitch Summit 2020 winner.
“Our goal is to promote an open and inclusive ecosystem for all entrepreneurs,” said Nathan Burkhart, Director of Marketing & Small Business Development for BCIC. “This program would not be possible without our eBridge Center for Business and Commercialization partners, specifically Linda Ufland and her team at UTRGV ECC.”
This was the second consecutive online event held virtually from the Brownsville Performing Arts Academy in Historic Downtown Brownsville.
STARTUP TEXAS PITCH SUMMIT 2021 WINNERS:
Amor y Pan
Specializing in Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Gluten, Sugar & Grain-Free Baked Goods carefully crafted with high fiber, and a near-zero glycemic index.
Cilantro Sauce
Manufacturing delicious homemade cilantro sauce born from a secret family recipe. From Farmers markets to grocery store shelves and beyond.
North America SECNER Holdings, LLC.
Surface electromagnetic inspection technology. Procurement, Maintenance and Automation services for the energy sector.
Pluton Brewing Company
Microbrewery using locally and ethically sourced ingredients to create a drinking experience unique to the Rio Grande Valley.
Raw Xocolat
Veteran owned and family operated business, artisan roast, hand-sort, crack, winnow and conch each small batch. The first real ‘bean to bar’ chocolate factory in Brownsville, Texas.
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