$50K North Texas Pitch Contest selects final four startups, appoints celebrity judges

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The North Texas Pitch Contest will be hosted Nov. 20 at the DEC.

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Danielle Abril

Staff Writer- Dallas Business Journal

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Four Dallas-Fort Worth startups have been selected as finalists for the $50,000 North Texas Business Pitch Contest hosted by Comerica Bank and the Dallas Entrepreneur Center.

The four companies, selected by a combination of more than 6,600 social media votes and a panel of judges comprising executives from the DEC, Comerica and the local investment community, will compete at the live final four pitch event slated from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 20 at the DEC. The winning company, chosen by a panel of celebrity judges, will receive an unrestricted grant from Comerica.

Here's a look a the companies:

• Glass Media Inc. – The Dallas-based company, founded by Daniel Black and Wesley Oldaker, was the winner of the social media vote. The company developed a cloud-based digital projection technology product for storefront glass and point-of-sale applications.
• LiveWire – The Fort Worth-based company, founded by Arman Bajwa and Aasim Saeed, provides a curated online marketplace to connect consumers with vetted and publically reviewed tax preparers, accountants and financial planners by phone and video.
• Rollout – The Dallas-based company, founded by Matthew Hinson, provides a digital product as an alternative to printed blueprints for architecture, engineering and construction firms.
• XOcur – The Irving-based company, cofounded by Jason Monden, created a platform aimed at helping users simplify choosing a cloud solutions and increase cost efficiencies.

The celebrity judges that will choose the winner are Fleetwood Hicks, president and founder of Dallas-based ABC Shark Tank contestant Villy Custom; David Johnson, KRLD business analyst; Terra Saunders, owner of Dallaswear Uniforms and Waitressville; and Natalie Solis, anchor at KDFW Fox 4 News.

The competition aims to inject funding into a startup at the inflection point of its business, Trey Bowles, CEO of the DEC, previously told the DBJ.

Danielle covers technology, retail, restaurants and hospitality for the Dallas Business Journal. Subscribe to our new TechFlash email newsletter.