The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) continued its focus on providing entrepreneurs with greater access to investors by hosting its fourth New Jersey Founders and Funders. The event took place Oct. 27 at the Commercialization Center for Innovative Technologies. (CCIT), the EDAs life sciences business incubator that provides office space, labs, and networking events located in North Brunswick, New Jersey.
Through an application process, the NJEDA selected approximately 30 startups that they then matched with more than 20 participating angel and venture capital investors. The investors included: Golden Seeds, Jumpstart NJ Angel Network and Edison Partners.
Entrepreneurs rotated among tables to meet with investors who have experience and interest in their industry domain. Each entrepreneur was given 10 minutes to pitch their startup to an investor, beginning a relationship that may potentially result in future funding.
“Fostering collaboration between entrepreneurs and investors remains a top priority in New Jersey,” EDA CEO Melissa Orsen said. “Through the four New Jersey Founders & Funders events we have hosted to date, more than 120 entrepreneurs have met with investors on a variety of topics and gained critical insight on how best to position their startups within the Garden State’s vibrant technology ecosystem.”
The quick one-on-one ‘speed dating’ sessions to discuss funding, business models and strategy, in which the EDA acted as an intermediary, brought in a range of technology and biotechnology companies. Some of the thirty startups selected to attend the event included:
Medicoupe: Founded by Christine Barbieri and Donald Jones, Medicoupe is a transportation service for medical patients. Through their website service, patients can schedule a ride with the company’s trained drivers to drive them to their medical appointments.
OceanTailer: OceanTailer is an e-commerce platform that connects buyers and sellers. Founded by Gil Bar-Lev, the company displays trusted wholesalers’ products on their site where retailers can purchase them directly.
SchoolPress: Founded by Jason Coleman, SchoolPress brings technology to the classroom through an interactive app. The site allows teachers to distribute and collect assignments as well as connect with the students in an online forum.
The NJEDA’s New Jersey Founders and Funders event is hosted semi-annually and the next one is scheduled for spring of 2016.
To register visit: https://application.njeda.com/tls/.
To learn about the various programs available to support the technology industry visit: http://www.njeda.com/tls or follow @NJEDA on Twitter and LinkedIn
To learn about opportunities for business growth in New Jersey visit: www.NewJerseyBusiness.gov or call 1-866-534-7789
