Fanning the Flames of Start-up Success, SPARK 2.0 Finalists Selected and Sessions Begin This Week

WILMINGTON, Del., Oct. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SmartInvest Ventures ("SmartInvest"), an international venture capital firm, announced today that eight companies were selected from the Life's a Pitch competition, held on September 29, 2017, at the Law Offices of Richards, Layton and Finger, P.A., to take part SPARK2.0 – an intensive mentorship program which kicks off the first of eight full-day workshops today at The Mill, a co-working community and innovation hub in downtown Wilmington.

The eight companies, selected from a pool of fifteen participants, represent a wide variety of industries, backgrounds, and geographies.

• Americae aims to address an underserved market with their Latin American-inspired clothing brand.
• Blue Dragon Bioimaging is focused on creating a more cost-effective, portable microscope and imaging software to help regions devastated by natural disasters or underserved vaccination geographies.
• Celesstia Health is focused on wearable AI technology intended to detect early stage cancer and other health problems.
• Drone Workforce Solutions not only provides job training, but also acts as an employment company serving both their students and large companies.
• Levitea targets the growing market of upscale tea drinkers with uniquely packaged and curated tea subscription boxes.
• Mixotype uses the popularity of social media in a new way - optimizing user-provided data to connect like-minded people.
• Rovier has an application to help restaurants and other large institutions source their food/supplies at a more competitive cost.
• Wilmington Green Box, the only non-profit selected, focuses on bring fresh produce to downtown Wilmington neighborhoods, plus training and hiring the youth from these neighborhoods to run the business.

Chuck Kerrigan, partner at SmartInvest said"We're energized by this group of entrepreneurs. We see in Delaware inspired ideas and motivated start-ups with potential, seeking experienced guidance, and not just funding - and we continue to be proven right. Many of these companies have the potential to impact the local community and expand globally."

Echoing this sentiment was Tynisha Lomax, owner of Levitea, an entrepreneur selected to participate. "Having participated in and received mentoring through other start-up programs, I was truly surprised how invested and helpful the mentors were at Life's a Pitch. Their advice obviously came from an extraordinary set of experiences, from around the globe."

Although only eight companies were selected for SPARK2.0, Gerry Moan, SmartInvest Ventures founder and Managing Partner was clear: "Every entrepreneur who participated in Life's a Pitch is a winner.  They are investing their time and energy to take their businesses to the next level. While not every start-up might be a fit for the SPARK program today, it does not mean that they wouldn't be in the future."  To show the company's continued commitment to "do good, do well", any entrepreneurs that weren't selected for SPARK2.0 are being connected with other mentorship organizations locally in Delaware, like SCORE and McDay. 

SPARK2.0 classes, hosted by SmartInvest Ventures at The Mill in downtown Wilmington, DE, will be held, October 9^th – 11^th, October 23^rd – 25^th and November 6^th – 7^th. Start-ups will then participate in the Pitch Day event on November 8^th during Delaware Innovation Week for a chance at securing funding.

About SmartInvest Ventures
SmartInvest Ventures ("SmartInvest") is an international company that has transformed deal flow in a fundamental way.

Through SmartBase (Experiential Mentoring and Education), SmartStart (Angel Funding) and SmartInvest (existing VC Fund), SmartInvest Ventures will guide companies, from the spot where they begin, to their best endgame, providing all aspects of support - finance, HR, legal, marketing, reporting, budgeting.

The company's world class board, partners and advisors include John Bruton, former Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland and Board Chair Dr. Allen Sangines-Krause, a global finance executive first with Goldman and now with his own world class $2Bn+ private equity firm.  The General Partners Group has over $2BN in asset management experience.  SmartInvest's track record in fund management and startups is entirely due to the proprietary process the company employs to become deeply hands-on. It is quite simply, an ecosystem for discovery and startup, with true global reach, expressed in the global background of the hand-picked Board of Directors, and Advisory board. This mentorship approach is embedded in the company's credo, is non-negotiable, and is reflected in the impressive track record they have assembled over the last 10 years.

It is SmartInvest's global platform, an early and steady hands-on approach to its entrepreneurs, and the multi-disciplinary expertise of the SmartInvest team that proves successful over time.

For more information, visit www.smartinvestventures.com

SmartInvest Ventures and SPARK2.0 Contact:
Gerry Moan, Founder, SmartInvest Ventures
Gerry@smartinvestventures.com

Press Contact:
Susan Stipa, McDay
Susanstipa@mc-day.com

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SOURCE SmartInvest Ventures