An online platform that streamlines the process of buying and selling a house, a company that sells all-natural lemonade and a manufacturer that makes disposable devices to regulate the flow of medication are the three finalists in the Baton Rouge Entrepreneurship Week High Stakes Pitch Competition.
The competition will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Mid City Tower, 5700 Florida Blvd. The event is free.
The three companies participating in the Nexus Louisiana pitch competition will compete for a $100,000 investment prize and advancement to the Startup World Cup Grand Finale in California, where they will compete for $1 million. The local businesses were selected from a pool of more than 50 applicants.
The businesses will make 10-minute presentations, and then spend 15 minutes fielding questions from a panel of judges. The judges will then deliberate and pick a winner.
Participating in the competition are:
Falaya, a Baton Rouge company that offers a user-friendly platform that makes it easier and cheaper to buy or sell a house. Customers can create and digitally sign all real estate documents, obtain pre-approval letters, arrange showings, book property inspections and manage their listings from a smartphone.
Leroy's LipSmack'n Lemonade, a Baton Rouge company that sells all-natural drinks made with water, sugar and fresh-squeezed lemons. The company got its start in 2012, when Leroy Hayward III, then 6 years old, participated in Lemonade Day Louisiana, an annual event that teaches children to be entrepreneurs.
SafePush, a New Orleans medical equipment manufacturer that makes devices that control the flow of IV push medication, to prevent human errors and improve patient safety.
The winner of last year's competition was DAWn Audio, a New Orleans startup that creates compatibility between digital audio networks, allowing musicians to collaborate online without having to email audio files back and forth.