Digital Bridges 2.0

So yesterday I attended the Digital Bridges 2.0 entrepreneurs forum at Middlebury College. There were five small companies looking for investors and the paired with a group of Middlebury students to help them give a presentation and look behind the numbers and helping the companies grow. The companies consisted of Millborne farms drinkable yogurt, Urban Moonshine bitters, Phusia dance, Green Mountain Organic Creamery, and EIO Kids Cup. The presentations were well done and very well presented it is clear these students knew what they were talking about however I feel ALL of the presentations were all cookie cutter and very basic. One of the main things Champlain College has beaten into our minds was to be creative and think outside the box. These presentations were not creative at all and looked like a power point I did in high school.

It was very interesting to see how passionate the owners of the companies were about each of their businesses and how much they wanted the capital to grow their businesses.

My favorite presentation was probably the urban moonshine organic bitters, they had the largest target market being upscale bars in high profile cities and the owner has already gained popularity among many top news publications and grocery stores. The worst pitch was the EIO kids cup. Her idea was to create a sippycup out of a glass mason jar. My biggest concern with this was A; its a 14 dollar sippycup and B; a glass mason jar can be a weapon in the hands of a child who likes to throw things.

Overall the forum was a good networking experience for my mentor and we got to discuss business strategy and pros and cons of the presentations. I had a lot of fun and would encourage anyone who gets a chance to go to this event in the future to go.