A second startup has won a cash prize in the statewide startup pitch series HATCH.
Stevens Point-based Arbre Technologies LLC won $2,000 at a Wisconsin Rapids HATCH event last week for its winning pitch. It beat out several entrepreneurs from around the state, including Milwaukee’s MagneTag, who pitched early-stage business ideas before a crowd and a jury of local business representatives. The other contenders were Wausau’s VR Café and Ogema’s Caboosee. The idea of HATCH is to help entrepreneurs with strong ideas to develop them into business plans.
Milwaukee-based venture philanthropy organization BrightStar Wisconsin Foundation and Milwaukee social architecture firm NEWaukee were two of the main sponsors for last week’s HATCH event, along with Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. and Current Wisconsin Rapids.
Tom Shannon, president and chief executive officer of BrightStar, and Todd Sobotka, managing director at BrightStar, were two of the six judges at the Wisconsin Rapids event.
Arbre Tech, developed by Matthieu Vollmer and Ben Meyers, automates data tracking processes used in tree nurseries. The real-time inventory tracking reduces labor costs and creates time for arborists to invest in specialized and technical processes.
The first HATCH winner was Leak Siphon Flush Valve, which prevailed at an April 26 event in Stevens Point.
There are two more HATCH events, in Wausau on June 21 and in Marshfield on July 19, before the grand finale pitch event, now being held Nov. 9, at an undetermined location, where the four semifinalists will compete for a $10,000 cash prize. More information and idea submission forms are available at hatchwi.com.
