Thursday, April 22, 2010

Race cars and nanny cams will vie for the attention of million-dollar investors at the University of North Carolina Wilmington Entrepreneurship Center's semiannual Rocket Pitch event. Five up-and-coming entrepreneurs from Southeastern North Carolina will "speed date" business leaders and investors in an effort to gain support 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 28 in Madeline Suite, adjacent to Wagoner Hall.

Entrepreneurs will demonstrate their products and services on-site, including full-size race cars and a surveillance system that can send live "nanny cam" footage to mobile devices. A full list of the participating companies is below.

These innovative businesses will have five minutes to "sell" their business models and growth strategies to around 90 local business leaders and investors. Last year's Rocket Pitch event resulted in individual companies receiving as much as $4 million in equity funding and more than $100,000 in customer/client contracts.

The event is designed to be a networking opportunity for businesses who may be struggling due to the recent recession. Attendees will have the opportunity to provide feedback to the entrepreneurs and ask questions. The pitches will be followed by networking and discussions over food and drinks.

The event is hosted by the UNC Wilmington Entrepreneurship Center, which aims to be a catalyst for entrepreneurial growth in Southeastern N.C. by bringing together emerging and high-growth ventures, entrepreneurs and relevant support organizations to create business growth, jobs and innovation. The center will be unveiling a preview of a documentary project about entrepreneurship in the Cape Fear region developed with the UNCW film studies department.

Attendees must register in advance for this event. For more information, visit www.uncwec.org.

Media are invited to gain hands-on footage/photography and interviews at this invitation-only event.

Media contact:
Joy Davis, Marketing and Communications, 910.632.3903 or davisjc@uncw.edu

Profiled Companies:
Proficient Learning, LLC
www.proficientlearning.com
Proficient Learning designs and delivers sales training solutions for specialty pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturers.

Rogo, LLC
www.rogo.com
Rogo combines several technologies to create superior surveillance camera services which enable users to view live and recorded pictures from any web-enabled cell phone or computer with no need to install additional software.

National Speed Inc.
www.nationalspeedinc.com

National Speed is a speed shop for high performance street cars featuring a garage, showroom, real-time dynamometer and club lounge. The Wilmington business also hosts events and races throughout North Carolina.

DigiEffects
www.digieffects.com

Digieffects is a developer of visual effects software with tens of thousands of customers around the world, including many of the leading brands in the media and entertainment business.

Loadmatch Logistics
www.loadmatch123.com

Loadmatch Logistics specializes in the land-side movement of ocean containers in a manner that saves money for the importer and exporter, increases revenue for the trucker and provides ecological benefits.