KIRKLAND, WA — (Marketwired) — 09/11/13 — “Grinds to Grow,” a local startup, was awarded $10,000 in seed funding last night after winning the Revel Entrepreneurial Challenge. The event was held Monday night at WithinSODO in Seattle, Wash.
Chenda Nhem and Jason LaRonde were awarded the top prize for “Grinds to Grow,” a sustainable biochar-based fertilizer solution made from used coffee grounds. Additionally, Nhem and LaRonde will continue receive mentoring and additional investment opportunities to help guide their dream into a reality.
“We gained so much knowledge from the workshops, insightful feedback and supporting resources Revel provided throughout the competition,” said Nhem. “We now have a business plan we are confident in.”
“We have an exciting journey ahead of us,” said LaRonde. “We plan to start the production of Grinds to Grow and distribute our product in 2014.”
Business ideas were submitted, ideas vetted and feedback given. Then, topics for a 4-week intensive boot camp were matched with local business leaders and startup executives, including Chris Rallo, Founder and COO of BevyUp. Participants learned various aspects of refining a business plan and taking their concept to market.
Matthew Rubright and Alice Lage-s “[verb]FITNESS” took home the “Fan Favorite” award and $2,500 for their minute-to-pitch-it video. The video garnered the most favorable votes from the public. [verb]FITNESS maximizes consumers- investment in fitness services by providing a single membership to a network of fitness providers.
“Winning fan favorite drives home the idea that [verb]FITNESS can resonate in a mass market setting, which is a great confidence boost for us as we decide how to move forward,” said Lage.
“It is an honor and provides validation that [verb]FITNESS understands a fundamental gap in an industry,” said Rubright. “By providing a great customer experience, we can address and eliminate that gap.”
14 business ideas were originally submitted. Four teams made it to the final pitches. The other teams to pitch their business plans were Vamshi Guntha of “meye” — a turnkey cloud analytics platform for small to midsize businesses — and Dany Yousif, Michael McEachern, Devin Bean and Jose Hernandez of “Forkin- Awesome” — a mobile app for locating and connecting food trucks with their customers.
Monday night-s pitches were judged by three prominent figures in Seattle-s startup scene: Gary Ritner, Yi-Jian Ngo and Vikas Kamran. Ritner is the Founder and Manager of the Puget Sound Venture Club, a forum to review early-stage venture opportunities. Ngo is the Managing Director of the Alliance of Angels, the Pacific Northwest-s most active angel group. Kamran is the Founder and CEO of Revel Consulting, a leading business management consulting firm.
“The Revel Entrepreneurial Challenge was created to provide not just a competitive outlet to showcase creativity but also a collaborative forum where Revelers can learn from and inspire each other to achieve more, together,” said Tim Bowman, manager of Strategy and Insights for Revel Consulting.
“Entrepreneurialism is the heart and soul of Revel-s PURE consulting model,” Bowman said. “My goal is to develop programs that encourage and reward it.”
To learn more about the Revel Entrepreneurial Challenge visit .
Revel Consulting is a leading business management consulting firm based in Kirkland, Wash. Revel believes client success is achieved through PURE Consulting — reduced barriers between great minds and great opportunities. Revel-s offerings include strategy, operations, technology and customer experience.
Chad Hall
Revel Consulting
4020 Lk Washington Blvd NE, Suite 210
Kirkland, WA 98033
206-407-3173 x 41
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