The DEIC and Randolph-Macon College award $20,000 to three Virginia entrepreneurs to catalyze business growth and encourage social innovation.
Ashland, VA – The Dominion Energy Innovation Center (“DEIC”) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2021 Center Street Pitch Competition held Thursday, February 25, 2021 in conjunction with the EDGE Center for Career Development at Randolph-Macon College.
From a large pool of competition applicants, eight teams made it through to the finals and only three were selected as grand prize winners by a group of distinguished judges.
ATP-VA took home the $7,500 cash prize and inclusive branding package from Fireside Digital for the Clean Technology and Sustainability track. ATP-VA uses a patented, Combined Remediation Biomass and Bio-Product Production (CRBBP) Process, to plant and then multi-tasks certain Bio-Crops to do good things for the health and wellbeing of people, the planet, and local communities, less expensively. “I am honored to have been selected, we are eager to deploy our patented CRBBP Process, in Virginia and the region, where we will multi-task special Bio-Crops to combat Climate Change, by capturing large amounts of CO 2, while providing other environmental services, then sequester the captured carbon in circular economy bio-products,” says Joe James, founder and CEO.
TeamExcel won the General Business track, earning the $7,500 crash prize and comprehensive branding package from BROWNBAYLOR. Team Excel gamifies student success metrics to turn learning and personal development into a fun and healthy competition. Founder and CEO Johnathan Mayo had this to say about winning, “The Center Street Pitch Competition was a fun experience and I was truly honored to win the general category. The cash prize, membership to DEIC, and pro bono services will be huge assets in helping us grow Team Excel to positively impact and motivate more students around the globe.”
Lectito Dispenso was one of two student teams from R-MC to pitch and won the $5,000 grand prize in the student track. Lectito Dispenso is about providing open access for readers, just compensation for authors, and closer relationships between the two. “I’m honored to win the student section of the pitch competition; as students, we deliberately introduce ourselves to interesting problems through our coursework and experiences, and it’s always rewarding to think of solutions to these problems.” says Anshu Sharma, Founder and R-MC senior.
Hosted for its fourth year, the Center Street Pitch Competition provides entrepreneurs from across Virginia a platform to secure non-dilutive funding and gain access to the DEIC’s large network of supporters. “The DEIC is proud of this year’s Center Street Pitch Competition Winners; their commitment to social innovation is inspiring and their businesses will surely enact deep social/environmental change,” said Adam Sledd, Director Dominion Energy Innovation Center.
The partnership between R-MC and the DEIC has served to promote, develop and elevate Virginia’s entrepreneurial drive. Furthermore, it provides R-MC students with the opportunity to demonstrate how their liberal arts education can serve to impact the community through their work developing new ideas along with serving as intrapreneurs within organizations. “R-MC looks forward to continuing to develop and enhance the EDGE Center for Entrepreneurship in partnership with the DEIC to provide opportunities for Virginia’s entrepreneurs to engage with R-MC students in programs and workshops that will be mutually beneficial,” says Josh Quinn, Associate Director of Professional Development and Medical Careers at Randolph-Macon College.
To learn more about the DEIC’s many programs, please visit http://www.dominnovation.com/ . Applications are now open for the DEIC Accelerate program and will remain open through March 17th.
About Dominion Energy Innovation Center
The Dominion Energy Innovation Center, located in Ashland, is an affiliated innovation center of Activation Capital that supports early-stage advanced technology companies by providing them with the collaborative space, guidance, and resources needed to accelerate their growth. Founded in November 2009, the Dominion Energy Innovation Center supports great ideas across a wide spectrum of industry sectors in addition to its focus on building the alternative, renewable energy sector in Central Virginia. Founding partners of this program include the signature sponsor, Dominion Energy, as well as Activation Capital, the Town of Ashland and Hanover County.
DEIC’s main programs include the annual Center Street Pitch Competition co-hosted with Randolph-Macon College, the DEIC Accelerate program for energy-focused startups, and the DEIC Greentech Network, a virtual incubator providing opportunities for startups around the United States. DEIC is proud of our partnerships with several other leading entrepreneurial resource organizations, including the Virginia Capital Region SBDC, the Virginia Accelerator Network, the American Made Challenge Connector Program, and the Wells Fargo-NREL IN2 Incubator program.