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On Tuesday, five student teams pitched their business ideas to a panel of investors for seed funding. $30,000 in total was distributed to the teams; team Golden Guardian Solutions won an additional $1,000 as the audience favorite.

The competition was fierce at this year’s Fairfield StartUp Showcase which took place this past Tuesday at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. Following a year of research, presentations, business development, and mentorship, five student teams pitched their business ideas to a panel of investors for seed funding. Nearly 1,000 people watched this year’s Showcase in-person or online.

“The pitches were among the best we’ve ever had,” said StartUp Program Director Chris Huntley, PhD. “The mentors went all out to help the teams prepare. Once the stage lights came on, it was up to the students and they delivered.”

The investor panel featured the following alumni and business professionals: Joseph Bronson '70, principal and CEO of The Bronson Group, LLC; Chris Hillock ’00, vice president and head of portfolio development at Dell Technologies Capital; Packy Kelly ’90, audit partner at KPMG; Mary Anne Rooke P’20, founder of Rooke & Associates; and Ted Yang, founding CEO/trustee of 4-CT, founder and president of Cantata Media, and co-founder/partner of Social Venture Partners CT.

Each team had five minutes to make their pitches to the investors, followed by up to six minutes of discussion where the investors asked the teams questions about aspects of their business plans. The investors evaluated each team based on the business concept, value proposition, viability of the business, and the potential of the team. Once the teams finished their pitches, the panel deliberated on how much funding would be awarded to each team.

Following discussion among the investor panel, the 2023 StartUp Showcase awards were announced: teams Affluential Clothing and Copula received honorable mention and $2,500 each; Golden Guardian Solutions took third place and $5,000; AdXR took runner-up and $7,500; and Pantry + took first place and $12,500. Golden Guardian Solutions was awarded an additional $1,000 as Audience Choice, based on votes cast by the audience during the show.

Watch the Showcase recording to catch the team pitches and investor feedback.

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