Pitch2Pitch 2 Vol.3
On the 11th of October, we had the pleasure to host our elevator pitching event for some very promising Bulgarian startups. This month's theme was "Something sweet, something healthy and eco-friendly".
The judges:
Alexander Vladimirov is a startup finder & advisor. Also, formerly worked at Finance4Tech, a French investment company. He has extensive experience in private equity, venture capital, real estate, trading, and financial services. Striving to help the Bulgarian business environment constantly improve.
Yavor Gochev - an investment manager in Innovation Capital. His interests are in the area of Innovations, Entrepreneurship and Project Management.
Kristina Boseva, an investment associate in IMPETUS Capital. She has studied at Rotterdam School of Management, with a focus on business valuation investments, private equity and financial modelling.
Thomas Tsanev has experience as a Vice President of finance in Citibank. At the moment he is an angel investor, with broad experience managing teams and cross-functional projects in variety of strategy development, execution and client-facing functions. He joined us through Zoom.
Emil Shekerdzhiiski - co-founder and CEO of Networking Premium
Trifon Mihaylov - Managing Partner and Head of Operations in Networking Premium. Serial intrepreneur, creator of iHaveabee and WooWhiskey.
The startups:
Cardinal Bites are the very first protein bites with no added sugar, enriched with probiotics and skillfully supplemented with fragrant Bulgarian rose. Just one bite is enough to feel the balanced taste, soft, melting texture and delicate scent that arouse excitement in your senses.
They produce biodegradable, completely environmentally friendly and easy to dispose of, composable and edible single-use tableware. Their plates and cutlery are made out of a by-product from beer production called brewers’ spent grain (BSG). More than 70% of this product is thrown away and brewers pay for this.
Sofia2Go is a platform connecting foodies with good food leftover at great restaurants. The platform offers delicious food prepared for the day, but not sold at peak hours. You pay a lower price and take your order from the location. No delivery and annoying waiting. Because it is not only delicious, but also in support of local business and the environment.
They are a Bulgarian 100% organic spice and herb flavor solutions producer. They use strictly mechanical pressing in combination with native fermentation of herbs and spices and do not any artificial additives, synthetic components or animal fats. CMYK believe this method to be the most transparent and effective of all available in the today food industry.
They use a set of universal, irreducible, and essential set of material conditions to create opportunities to bring people and ideas together for achieving basic human wellbeing. Their aim is to engage technical resources and leverage companies and to improve the boundaries resource of the planet.
PATE MATE carries a South American tradition into our hectic, modern daily lives. A drink when you need more energy. MATE is a natural source of caffeine. After receiving the extract, sweeten it with a little pure sugar. Then they aerate it - in moderation. This is how their unadulterated, natural taste ends. Unlike energy drinks, MATE stimulates without creating anxiety.
Conforming to the resctrictions due to COVID-19, this month's event was held as a hybrid one - part of the judges and startups joined via Zoom, while the others presented their ideas in person on Networking's stage. People could join us in person or from the comfort of their own home, thanks to a live stream in Facebook, where they could follow the whole event. Like always, we had some amazing ideas and startups presenting. But as everybody knows, the winner can be only one. Congratulations to PATE MATE! Their idea for an yerba mate infused drink impressed us with taste and presentation. We believe we can help them grow, so they won 3000BGN worth of credits for Networking Premium's services. We are excited to follow all six startups with the next stages of their development and to see what they will do in the future!