Four startups advance in GoBIG pitch competition

The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, the Creative Foundry, The eFactory and Originate have announced that four entrepreneurs will go on to compete for $5,000 and other prizes in the Go BIG pitch competition at this year’s B2B Expo on October 2.

The finalists include INSPXTR, Panda Laundry Factory, Safe Food for Me and Share a Gig. Over coming weeks, these entrepreneurs will work to hone their pitches before they face the judges on October 2. The recipient will be chosen based on the scalability and originality of the product or venture and will receive a $5,000 cash prize along with 6 months free rent and services from The eFactory.

More about the finalists:

INSPXTR – Founded by Brandon Freeman, INSPXTR is on a mission to improve water and waste-water systems monitoring using simple technology which could replace outdated technologies and help address one of the biggest issues facing municipalities.

Panda Laundry Factory – Samson Yi founder of Panda Laundry is looking to radically reinvent the wash and fold laundry industry using cutting edge computer software and mechanical automation which has never been implemented before in the consumer wash and fold laundry industry.

Safe Food for Me – Founded by Tylor Hindery, Safe Food for Me would provide a searchable resource for individuals with dietary restrictions.  Through a web based application, users could search restaurant menus based on location and personal dietary restrictions.

Share a Gig – Founder Matthew Thomas is working to bring full gigabit internet access to residents and businesses of urban markets without the traditional costs of building out a high capacity gigabit fiber network--and he’s starting with downtown Springfield.

Want to see the competition in actions? The lunch is free, but space is limited, so please RSVP by September 29.