May 3—GRAND FORKS — Three local projects earned funding during the The Chamber Grand Forks-East Grand Forks "Shark Tank" event Tuesday evening.
Winning the top prize of $750 was Victoria Munyati, of Caring Companions. Finishing second, and earning $500, was Utkarsh Gupta, of Neurogether Ventures, while third place — and $250 — went to Laura Endres, of Paddle On!
Kaelen Reedy, Fenworks, was the emcee for the event. The judges — known as the "sharks" — were Tommy Kenville, ISight Drone Services; Rachael Gronovich, Countrywide Sanitation; Landon Bahl, 322 Hospitality Group; and Matt Winjum, Rhombus Guys.
Nine organizations went into the tank in hopes of earning dollars for their ideas. Each contestant gave a one-minute pitch, followed by several minutes of Q&A. The sharks offered feedback, advice and suggestions.
The projects were judged on their overall venture opportunity, marketability and presentation.
According to the program, Munyati's project — Caring Companions, doing business as The Janitor — "is the ultimate homecare agency. ... Bringing a concierge service for all our clients. Whether it's a handyman, a cleaning project or even a trip to Disney this hybrid model of care is set to remove limitations on everything!"
For Gupta's second-place project, Neurogether Ventures, the program noted that "memory and learning are the key cognitive functions required by every human (healthy and clinical population) to perform and excel in their daily life functions. With recent advancements in neurotechnology, we have the chance to further explore and develop tools that can revolutionise human capabilities. Neurogether Ventures is a venture studio that aims to empower researchers, clinicians, and entrepreneurs alike with the right tools, resources, mentoring, and environment to make their neuro-technology ideas a reality backed with research and development of highest standards and efficacy."
The third-place project, Paddle On!, is a "an idea that would help develop the area around the (Grand Forks) boat house. It's a kayak rack that generates income for the boat house and someday a container café!"