The Creative Coast’s FastPitch startup pitch competition is set to take place on Wednesday, May 24, 2023 from 4pm - 6pm at Service Brewing in Savannah. Finalists have been selected to pitch their startups to a panel of judges and a live audience.

Contestants will have five minutes each to pitch their ventures. Three startups will win funding from the $10K prize pool with first ($5,000), second ($2,500), and third-place ($1,500) winners. The audience will also have the opportunity to vote on their favorite pitch, and the contestant with the most votes will win the latest model of the 13.3” MacBook Air laptop. Winnings are provided courtesy of the Savannah Economic Development Authority.

The pitch contestants include the following individuals and startups.

Brett Baines for HumbleHQ
Chrissy Earl & Wheeler Flemming for FanDab
Sherone Hubbard for OSH Consulting, LLC
Lorna Kangethe for NextAI
Micah King for The Animation TV Network
Kelly Morris for Port City Kitchen
Tyiana Sansbury for BAWDY
Danietté A. Thomas for The Arionna Collection
Zachary Tyler for Vistos

The panel of judges includes business professionals, financial experts, startup mentors, and investors who will engage with each of the contestants in three minutes of Q&A following their pitches. The judges include…

Jessica Belfry, Serial Entrepreneur
Jim Goodlet, Board of Directors Member & Angel Investor at Area Southeast Angel Partners
Mario Hilliard, Market President at Cadence Bank
Caleb Kitchings, Business Development Project Manager for Tech & Innovation at the Savannah Economic Development Authority
Patrick Woock, Director of Business Incubation at the Georgia Southern University Business Innovation Group

The cost to attend as an audience member is $30 (+ an Eventbrite fee and taxes). Creative Coast Members receive a 50% discount on their ticket price. Members should check their inboxes for the discount code. Tickets can be purchased by visiting https://thecreativecoast.org/programs/fastpitch/.

FastPitch is made possible by generous sponsors dedicated to providing opportunities within the local startup ecosystem. Sponsors include:

Platinum Sponsor: the Savannah Economic Development Authority
Gold Sponsors: Built on Purpose & the Small Business Assistance Corporation
Silver Sponsors: Blue Edge Business Solutions, InventureIT, & Plug and Play Tech Center

For more information on sponsorship and volunteer opportunities, please, contact [email protected].