Ok, so this episode is really amazing. It’s just the five pitches from last year’s GSB Launchpad and the judges questions, that’s it. Nothing in between, all killer no filler, with the winner announced at the end. Be sure to register for this year’s Launchpad, which is June 6. And stay tuned to the end, when I’ll give my pitch tips based on having listened to hundreds of pitches now. Add your own pitch tips in the comments, too, I’d love to compile a fuller list.
In my third of five episodes presenting pitches from last year’s Gorham Savings Bank, I present Patrick Coughlin of St. Germain Collins and their new Sentry EHS software.
Sentry EHS works well for any business that needs an experienced partner to help them comply with environmental, health and safety regulations. They specialize in helping energy providers (read: gas stations), solid waste/recycling firms, manufacturing facilities and higher education campuses with compliance.
I thought this was a somewhat unusual pitch in that it comes from a well established environmental engineering company, rather than a startup. (I’ve done business with them myself for inspections at a building I own). But they’ve stayed entrepreneurial, and I applaud St. Germain Collins for recognizing an opportunity taking their business in this new direction, which is clearly paying off.
So: even though they did not win, the pitch is strong, and I’m happy to report that the company is growing fast and has hired three new staff members since June 2015. Even more impressive (and removed from this edit to save you the painful audio) was the sound problems that Pat faced once he hit the stage – they didn’t bring his mic up when he started speaking, leading to an awkward moment. Not his fault, but he remained cool and calm and still delivered his pitch well. And as I state in my introductory comments, I believe just going through process of delivering a pitch is a great benefit.
Please go ahead and subscribe because next week I have Beach Glass Transitions, as well as cameos from celebrity guests Pika Energy and Bixby Bar. Cheers!
One of the things I love about these pitches is that we get to hear the creation story of interesting Maine startups. Digging into what makes Maine businesses tick is essentially the mission of my podcast overall. Flowfold, in their second consecutive appearance at the Launchpad, gives a great presentation, including how the founders stitched the first 1,000 wallets themselves in their parents’ spare room.
Since founding the company, they have grown to 5 employees, automated and added equipment, and developed some of the highest rated products on Amazon.
In the audio, in an attempt to build suspense (since there are three more episodes coming), I don’t mention that Flowfold, the second of five pitches given that day, is the winner. But I can tell you here: see if you can pick out the elements that made the judges prefer this proposal, and enjoy and share this pitch that won $30,000!
The 2016 Launchpad competition is underway – your chance to win $30,000 for your growing business – so listen and learn from last year’s finalists!
That’s right, I’m heading into a series of excerpts from the Gorham Savings Bank Launchpad competition. What I’m doing is clipping out each pitch and making into its own individual episode. The first one I have is Casco Bay Butter. This is just crazy enough – it just might work. Flavored butter. In fact, it’s great – I highly recommend it.
The pitch is a welcome view into the creation of the business and the challenges of staying up all night stuffing butter into tubs. Maybe a nice cup of tea and a slice of toast with butter would be good while you listen.
