On 06.22.23, 1871 hosted their third BLKtech Pitch Competition. The 3-round competition started with 50+ applicants, 20 founders moved to the semi-finals, and the top 5 finalists pitched their startups in front of a live audience.
Congratulations to the 2023 BLKtech Pitch Competition finalists
- Period, taking home $13k dollars & $10k in Aloa dev credits
- LucidTrade, taking home $9.5k dollars & $2.5k in Aloa dev credits
- Reach Pathways, taking home $7.5k dollars & $2.5k in Aloa dev credits
- Roomii, taking home $2.5k in Aloa dev credits
- SALUBATA, taking home $2.5k in Aloa dev credits
The finalists also received 6-months of free 1871 membership, on top of their individual cash prizes and development credits.
Judges for the competition included:
- David Ervin, Managing Director at DOM Capital Group
- David Kokonas, Senior Associate at OCA Ventures
- Bailey Moore, Managing Director at Wintrust Ventures
- Tony Wilkins, Private Investor at Standing Oaks Venture Partners & Mentor at The Junto Institute
- Betsy Ziegler, CEO of 1871
The third annual BLKtech Pitch Competition was made possible by investment partners OCA Ventures, Wintrust Ventures, Dom Capital Group, and Tony Wilkins, as well as sponsors State Farm, Aloa,Weber Shandwick, Food Foundry, William Blair, Verizon, EY, and Molson Coors.
About BLKtech
BLKtech is 1871’s umbrella of programming centered around supporting, equipping, and elevating Black founders & leaders through curated programming and mentoring initiatives. 1871 has programs,community resource groups, and events dedicated to Black individuals in tech, including BLKtech Founders, BLKtech Voices, and annual celebratory Juneteenth event.
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