MANCHESTER, NH —Manchester Young Professionals Network (MYPN) has announced finalists for its 2016 New Hampshire Startup Challenge, and a significant increase in the prize pledge which is now valued at $186,550. The Microsoft BizSpark Plus package is an in-kind cloud service valued at $120,000 that includes access to free software and tools, support services and access to training courses. Winners for all prizes will be announced at the final event on Wednesday, May 11 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Saint Anselm College NH Institute of Politics.
Out of 40 applicants for the 2016 competition, and hours of business plan refinement and deliberation, four startups were selected to move to the next and final round. AlignMeeting (Nashua), Nobl Coffee (Newmarket), Hidden Collective (Franklin) and Valchoice (Bedford) all pitched their ideas to the judging panel and have the opportunity to walk away with one or more of the following prizes at the final event:
First Place – $60,550
$20,000 in cash
$7,500 in legal services from Cook, Little, Rosenblatt & Manson, accounting services from Howe, Riley & Howe and marketing services from Grapevine Marketing.
$27,500 worth of ad space for one year in Business NH Magazine
$3,600 one year residency at Alpha Loft
$1,950 conference pass to the Nantucket Conference, a prestigious invitation-only gathering of emerging and established tech leaders from Boston, New York and throughout the Northeast.
Second Place – $1,000 in cash
People’s Choice – $5,000 in cash, presented by People’s United Bank
In addition to the four finalists, the remaining two semi-finalists, Awâto (Old Ipswich) and Higher Ed Profiles (Manchester), will be qualified to compete for the Microsoft BizSpark Plus award. Microsoft created the BizSpark program to support entrepreneurship and help startups grow their business.
In its ninth year, the New Hampshire Startup Challenge will surpass an awarded $500,000 to New Hampshire startups, and has led the way in connecting entrepreneurs and social innovators with seed capital and key services to help them on their path toward the creation of value, sustainable growth, and profitability.
“Microsoft’s donation reaffirms the strength of MYPN’s annual NH Startup Challenge and the level of quality applicants we attract year after year,” said Timothy Paradis, co-chair of the New Hampshire Startup Challenge. “This year has been equally exciting as it has been difficult. We saw such innovative ideas during each round, so deciding which companies would benefit the most by moving forward was a challenge for us, as they were all extremely impressive. We’re thrilled Microsoft is ensuring all our applicants this year are recognized for their effort.”
In addition to the BizSpark Plus award, Microsoft will provide each participant an opportunity to join its standard level BizSpark program, a $750 per month value of open source-friendly Microsoft Azure, plus software and tools such as Visual Studio and office for free. Startups are typically required to apply for participation in this program, but each individual that submitted an application to the 2016 New Hampshire Startup Challenge will receive an access code to surpass that step to redeem their subscription.
“By providing startups with access to leading technology products, business and technical support, and market visibility, Microsoft is assisting young companies in their earlier years when they need it most,” said Joshua Drew, Microsoft’s Senior Technical Evangelist for Startups. “Most of the companies in our program are in Boston and New York. This is the first time we are awarding a prize like this to any New Hampshire startup, and we’re impressed with the business plans we’ve seen so far. There is a great deal of talent up here in the Granite state and we’re excited to be involved in the NH Startup Challenge for the first time.”
The final event on May 11 will feature Microsoft’s Director of Developer, Student and Startup Evangelism, Steve Ramsay as the keynote speaker. After each startup presents its business plan one last time, attendees have the chance to vote on a winner for the People’s Choice Award, and winners in all categories will be announced.
About the Finalists
AlignMeeting (Nashua) – An online meeting workspace helping managers reach their goals faster by utilizing meeting time effectively and fosters best practices before, during, between and after meetings. Submitted by Ric Pratte.
Nobl Coffee (Newmarket) – By utilizing similar draft equipment found in bars dispensing stouts and porters, this coffee company is able to serve coffee with the same qualities of a nitro beer using handcrafted and organic ingredients. Submitted by Connor Roelke.
Hidden Collective (Franklin) – An online platform that is changing the way outdoor goods are discovered and sold in which outdoor enthusiasts can discover talented makers not found in traditional retail stores. Submitted by Tyler Matzke.
Valchoice (Bedford) – A user-friendly online service that helps consumers find fairly priced insurance directly, to determine if they are currently getting the best deal and quality protection, by analyzing financial and compliant data on insurance companies to provide a free report. Submitted by Dan Karr.
About the Semi-Finalists (only qualify for Microsoft BizSpark Plus Award)
Awâto (Old Ipswich) – An online platform that assesses and tracks people’s interests, aptitudes, educational attributes, experience and personality to allow businesses and recruiters to identify applicants using more advanced and diverse metrics. Submitted by Matthew Guruge.
Higher Ed Profiles (Manchester) – A data hosting solution that provides effortless reporting and query tools for higher education decision makers. Submitted by Eric Spear.
