Meet Our Pitch 412 Finalists
Pitch 412 Live Pitch Competition
On Monday, August 12, from 6-8pm, join us at M State Detroit Lakes Room C101 (900 Hwy 34 E Detroit Lakes MN 56501) for the Pitch 412 Live Pitch Competition! Doors open at 5:45pm.
Don’t miss this Shark Tank-style event where area entrepreneurs present their innovative ideas and compete for cash prizes and industry recognition.
This event is free and open to the public.
Please RSVP here.
Thank you to our partners: ILT Academy, West Central MN SBDC, and Minnesota State Community and Technical College.
Finalist: Jon Melgaard
Product: Event Conex
Describe your product in one sentence:
Event Conex streamlines event operations for festivals, conferences, and summits.
What inspired you to start this business/create this product?
After producing events for over a decade, I identified several pain points that created frustration and inefficiency while planning and executing events at scale. During COVID, I mapped out what a platform could look like to solve these tools and last year my friend and I started building it.
How will it benefit the Detroit Lakes community?
Technology companies can have a profound impact on the communities’ economies in which they office. When Event Conex is more established, I hope to one day have an in-person office in Detroit Lakes that provides great jobs and attracts more young people back to the community.
What has been your favorite part of this competition?
I am looking forward to getting feedback from our mentor and learning how they think we can further our business, faster.
Finalist: Connor Camrud
Product: Cubed Therapy
Describe your product in one sentence:
Cubed Therapy was established to develop a hand-held arm bike exerciser to expand rehab options.
What inspired you to start this business/create this product?
When I was a physical therapy student, I realized that many of the clinics I worked at were limited in not only functional gym space but also capital. I sought to develop a product that would offer cost and space savings within the clinical facilities yet also be applicable to other rehab and exercise settings. The intrinsic drive to put something forth that could better the rehab markets and improve care has been a large factor in sustaining this journey.
How will it benefit the Detroit Lakes community?
My wife and I have established our family within Detroit Lakes having just welcomed our second son and, with business progression, I hope to establish a formal business headquarters within the Detroit Lakes community. As part of Cubed Therapy’s purpose, I would like to give back to NICU-associated organizations to ensure that there is continued support for all the families currently crafting their own stories.
What has been your favorite part of this competition?
The more I have learned about Project 412 over the past few months, the more excited I am to be a part of their process in fostering growth within Detroit Lakes on a multitude of aspects. I am looking forward to all this competition has to entail and for what I can gain in personal and business knowledge and experience from this. I think it’d be great if I could one day be on the other side of an opportunity such as this to help foster the next level of community growth.
Finalist: Barb Owen-Boerger
Product: Getaway Kimonos
Describe your product in one sentence:
Getaway Kimonos repel mosquitos and other insect pests by putting the repellent next to your skin rather than on it.
What inspired you to start this business/create this product?
I got tired of the mosquitoes winning the warm summer evenings and did NOT like traditional repellents, nor did I want to wrap up in heavy cover-ups on hot summer evenings.
How will it benefit the Detroit Lakes community?
Detroit Lakes is the ideal summer playground! Getaway Kimonos are an innovative way to extend our enjoyment of summer activities, including festivals, shopping, patio dining, boating, outdoor markets, and evenings at the lake.
What has been your favorite part of this competition?
The people I have met and the connections that I have made. As a creative entrepreneur, it is easy to get overwhelmed by the “business” of business. The way Project 412, the West Central Minnesota SBDC, ILT Academy, and M-State collaborate to help people like me navigate the dream-to-reality process is truly remarkable!
Finalists: Timmie, Lillie, and Landon Hanson
Product: Lillie's Lollipops
Describe your product in one sentence:
Homemade and simple sweet treats made by our family to make you and those around you, smile!
What inspired you to start this business/create this product?
On July 17, 2023, Lillie passed several auditions and was invited to the International Presentation of Performers (iPop) for singing, acting, and modeling in Los Angeles. It was so exciting, and we thought making and selling lollipops would be a fun and unique way to help out a bit of money towards the expensive adventure. So it started initially as a fundraiser. Her dad and I would buy the supplies, then whatever profits were made, could go towards a couple of the costs associated with the trip.
How will it benefit the Detroit Lakes community?
We’ve perfected simple recipes and make products that are priced fairly so everyone can enjoy a little something while out at events. Hopefully, it’ll help inspire other young entrepreneurs to get out and embark on similar journeys of their own.
What has been your favorite part of this competition?
The quality time out and about in the community as a family. We’ve all learned so much about work ethic, running a business, and setting priorities to be efficient when planning cooking/making days as well as events and even other jobs, obligations, and activities.
