Paul Heirendt, serial entrepreneur

“I have attended a ton of startup events in San Francisco and Silicon Valley and tonight’s event is up there with the best I have ever attended,” serial startup founder Paul Heirendt told bizblip. “The pitches were all really excellent – you are making a real impact in the startup scene here in St Louis.”

This is the first Pitches Get Stitches to have contestants from across the region competing via Zoom. That’s a product of how they’re qualified for the event. Starting in January bizblip has used its online video pitch competition, Blippy Pitch, to have its readers vote on the best of early stage startups from Missouri, eastern Kansas and the southern half of Illinois.

“Early stage startup founders need to practice their pitch, and get feedback for improving it,” TechSTL Executive Director (and PGS emcee) Emily Hemingway said to the assembled startup community at T-Rex, Tuesday night. “And bizblip has built a system that helps them learn how to communicate what they are doing from idea stage, through first customers, to being able to stand in front of potential investors.”

While the judges were deliberating to determine the winner of last nights PGS competition, Pitches alumni Sheila Buswell of Buswell Biomedical practiced the 10 minute pitch she’ll be giving at this weeks InvestMidwest — the regions premiere venture conference. Buswell says that practicing her pitch at PGS, for Balsa, Venture Cafe-STL, and at 1 Million Cups STL has helped her develop — and she says her experience with San Diego Angels made her wish she’d had the opportunity to take part in Blippy Pitch (which came along after she had been in two PGS’s).

Last nights giant foam check went to winner Edwin Williams of ZenHammer.

The other contestants are:

  • Nick Love of Love Lifesciences, Olathe, KS
  • Chris Marshall of Verified Backups, St. Louis
  • Bill Ray of Odyss, St. Louis
  • Harold Bowser of Simple2Clean, Park City, KS *

Due to a scheduling error on his part Bowser was unable to attend.

This PGS was sponsored by Husch Blackwell. Judges include:

  • Frank Hopper, Managing Director, Capital Innovators
  • Elise Miller Hoffman, General Partner, Cultivation Capital
  • Emily Holtzman, Associate, Husch Blackwell

Editors Note: The picture is blurry. I was overloaded with a million details for this event, and the one thing I really needed, the picture, came out badly because I have too much going on. If you can volunteer to help out for the next one, probably in July, please contact me. I need help with set up and take down and (apparently) taking pictures. – Paul Riat, bizblip