What’s it like to pitch to Richard Branson? Soon, three startups will know firsthand.
As part of the Extreme Tech Challenge, entrepreneurs from three companies will travel to Necker Island, Branson’s private island, and pitch their business directly to the titan.
Sphero, Bloom Technologies and Giroptic beat out over 1,000 other startups. Each will get 15 minutes to present to Branson and several other judges.
Pitch day is the final round of the six-month challenge, which is run by nonprofit MaiTai Global.
Sphero, Boulder-based, catapulted to fame last year with “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
Bloom Technologies, founded in 2014, has developed prenatal technology and put it at the fingertips of expectant moms.
Giroptic, based in Lille, France, is the third finalist. It created a 360-degree camera that can record full spherical images and videos and will work with any virtual reality platform.
The three finalists will pitch to Branson, along with Google Maps co-inventor Lars Rasmussen and Samsung Electronics President Young Sohn, on February 10.
The winner will be picked that same day. All three companies will get the same prize package: mentoring from top entrepreneurs, tech and infrastructure support from IBM and Amazon, and the potential to raise new funding from investors at Necker Island.
However, the winner gets the bragging rights and an opportunity to be invited back to Necker Island and schmooze with Richard Branson next year.
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