Winners Announced for Start Peninsula 2019

Following another unforgettable weekend of entrepreneurship, networking and strategizing, Start Peninsula is pleased to announce its three winners for 2019:

• Atlas Quick-Clip – An attachment for the magazine of a firearm that relieves the spring tension making it easier to reload ammunition into a magazine
• French Slide – The patio door reinvented to encompass both sliding and hinged door features
• Vestalyze – An investment tracking and analytics software company that allows individual investors to optimize their portfolio

Each winner will receive $5,000 to fuel their business growth and will also have free access to local resources including memberships to local chambers of commerce.

The pitch competition began on Friday, Nov. 1 with 30 pitches and a keynote by

Warren Haber Jr. Haber has been a venture capitalist and angel investor for over 20 years and he has specialized in software and internet ventures. Following a 90-second pitch, 10 early stage businesses were selected to work on their business during the event. Throughout the weekend, participants worked with Haber to refine their businesses. On Sunday, winners were selected after completing a five-minute pitch presentation and five minute question-and-answer session with the judges.

Judges included:

• Gary Hunter, Director of Development, Hampton University
• Blake Luse, Director of Ferguson Ventures
• Ronda Markus, President of Lee Telecom, Inc.
• Marco Rubin, Senior Investment Director of CIT
• Evans McMillion, Executive Director of 757 Accelerate.

Start Peninsula was hosted by the City of Hampton and held at the McGrew Towers Conference Center, 24 Indian Road, located on the Hampton University campus. The weekend-long event stimulated entrepreneurial growth in the local community by connecting early stage businesses to validation, opportunities and resources. Thirty entrepreneurs connected with business leaders and mentors during this exciting event. Start Peninsula is held annually in different Peninsula localities. Start Peninsula began in 2012.

Next year’s event will be hosted in the Greater Williamsburg region. For more information about Start Peninsula please visit its website, Facebook page or their FAQ page.