Winners of SCORE’s 60th Anniversary Pitch Competition Held in Des Moines

SCORE is the nation's largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors. The organization recently held its 60th Anniversary Pitch Competition on Sept. 12, 2024 at Hotel Fort Des Moines in Downtown Des Moines (DSM). The competition showcases small business owners’ presentation and selling skills to industry experts so they can win funding and gain valuable knowledge and mentorship. More than 2,200 small business owners applied to participate in the no-cost event.

10 Des Moines Pitch Competition Finalists

The three winning businesses in the Des Moines pitch event are:

First Place

Scott Massey — Anu, Evansville, Ind.

Heliponix, LLC (doing business as Anu™) specializes in innovative indoor farming solutions using patented Rotary Aeroponics® technology. Their flagship product, the Pure Produce® Container, integrates advanced farming systems with Self-Nurturing™ Seed Pods and AI-enabled monitoring. This technology addresses food insecurity and resource challenges by providing scalable, energy-efficient farming solutions for both residential and commercial users. Scott earned the top prize of $20,000 for his pitch. He plans to use his prize to cover patent and intellectual property expenses and to create new AI development roles, fostering inclusive growth and leveraging diverse talents for advancing their technology.

Second Place

Katie Olthoff — ChopLocal, Wayland, Iowa

ChopLocal is a SaaS-enabled marketplace designed to support livestock producers, small meat processors and consumers. It offers an online platform similar to Etsy, where vendors can sell their meat products directly to consumers. The service includes marketing and technology support to help vendors effectively reach and serve their customers. ChopLocal aims to revive local meat supply chains and simplify online meat purchasing. Katie earned $10,000 for her pitch, which she plans to use to increase the marketing budget to attract more consumers, support the platform's growth and enhance the reach and visibility of ChopLocal's vendors.

Third Place

Tony Horner - Fermented Felon, Bellevue, Neb.

Fermented Felon is a kombucha tea company founded by Tony Horner, who turned his life around from a troubled past to become an entrepreneur. The company offers a range of unique kombucha flavors and focuses on growth and quality, with plans to expand into new metropolitan areas. They emphasize fresh, flavorful kombucha that avoids the common vinegar taste. Tony received $5,000 for his pitch. He will use the prize to support the company's expansion into new markets, including purchasing supplies, equipment and hiring additional employees to facilitate growth.

The 10 finalists from the Des Moines pitch event also included:

• Denise Greenhaw - NextGen Motors of Muscatine (Muscatine, Iowa)
• Christy Vincent - MOC BOD, LLC (Kansas City, Mo.)
• Dakota Belling - Bovi-Jet (Granger, Iowa)
• Abby Miller - Pat on Tap (Mead, Neb.)
• Juperi Johnson - Kena Wrap, LLC (Albuquerque, N.M.)
• Caitlin Hainley - Des Moines Midwife Collective (Des Moines, Iowa)
• Tiffany Jones - Cake Charming, LLC (Oswego, Ill.)

SCORE CEO Bridget Weston says the Des Moine-winning entrepreneurs embody the innovation, creativity and hard work it takes to achieve small business dreams. SCORE is proud to have supported them with mentorship and resources just as the organization has helped more than 17 million entrepreneurs over the past 60 years.

As part of the pitch competition, contestants were matched with one of SCORE's free, expert business mentors to guide them to prepare and deliver a compelling pitch.

Judging criteria included the effectiveness of the presentation, brand identification, uniqueness and viability of the product or service, the thoroughness of the business plan, scalability and any sustainability or social impact. Financials were also assessed on overall potential.

SCORE is the nation's largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors, with 10,000 volunteers serving all 50 U.S. states and territories. Since its founding in 1964 as a resource partner for the U.S. Small Business Administration, SCORE has helped more than 17 million current and aspiring entrepreneurs start, grow or successfully exit a business through mentoring, resources and education. In 2023 alone, SCORE volunteers helped create 31,167 new small businesses and add 152,115 total jobs to the American economy. Visit SCORE at score.org.

The Greater Des Moines Partnership celebrates the Greater Des Moines (DSM) entrepreneur community and helps small businesses succeed with one-of-a-kind resources and opportunities for networking. Find out how other entrepreneurs have found success by reading their stories and attending local small business events in the region.