Last week, Pick My Solar competed in Techweek LA’s Launch competition at the Santa Monica Pier. Over 100 startups pitched their business at the annual startup conference for $50,000 in cash and prizes and a chance to compete at Techweek Miami at the Launch National Championship for an additional $50,000 investment.
A panel of independent judges evaluated the contestants’ business plans and pitches to narrow the field from over 100 companies down to 16. Techweek then encouraged the audience and fans of the 16 semi-finalists to take to social media and vote for their favorite startup to decide the People’s Choice winner. The round of 16 judges then narrowed the field down to 5 finalists.
The judges for the final round included investor and co-founder of HelloTech Richard Wolpert, Tata Teleservices COO Suneel Bandhu, mentor and investor Alyse Killeen, and investor Banafsheh Fathieh.
Typically at Techweek Launch competitions, the People’s Choice is different from the winner of the competition. But in Pick My Solar’s case, it seems that both the judges and the audience liked their story equally. After winning the top prize, Pick My Solar’s co-founder and CEO Max Aram said, “We are thrilled to be recognized by Techweek. It really validates our mission and business model. We can’t wait for what’s next.” Pick My Solar will compete against winners from the 5 other Techweek events at Techweek Miami in December for the Launch Championship.
