Invest Southwest, in partnership with the Arizona Commerce Authority, today announced the final list of companies scheduled to present at the 2018 Venture Madness Conference.

Formatting for the annual conference has changed for this year resulting in a new, one-day format of a live pitch competition from companies representing four categories: Saas Launch, SaaS Scale, Hardware Tech and Deep Tech. One winner from each category will receive a $10,000 cash prize for their business and a chance to take home an additional $10,000 grand prize.

The one day conference will include  keynotes from Rei Carvalho, Founder and CEO of Emailage, Jerry Coleman, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of OfferPad and Todd Davis, former CEO of LifeLock. The conference will kick off with a networking reception on Monday, Jan. 29, 2018, with the pitch competition taking place on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018 at Galvanize Phoenix.

“We are excited for the caliber of talent and innovation represented in our finalists this year,” said Nate Mortensen, Invest Southwest’s 2018 chair. “There are a lot of new faces in the competition including more representation from surrounding states – more than any previous year. The formatting change will be a refreshing pace for attendees while also making it a more accessible event for investors both locally and on a national level.”

The 2018 finalists include:

Deep Tech

Blue Matador, Inc., Utah

Codelucida, Inc., Arizona

Dentavations, Utah

I.Me.Mine, Arizona

Reglagene, Arizona

Seek, Utah

Hardware Tech

Emagine Solutions Technology, Arizona

Hydronalix, Arizona

Hygiea, Inc., California

OTOjOY, Arizona

Somatic Labs, Arizona

Swift Coat, Arizona

SaaS Launch

Hivemetric, Arizona

JANIIS, Utah

LoyalStream, Arizona

NewLAW Technologies, Arizona

Persosa, Arizona

VIBEcx, Utah

Translucent, Utah

SaaS Scale

NetChain Squared, LLC, Arizona

Attribytes, Inc., Arizona

Cheddar Up, Colorado

Fullbay, Arizona

Gyde & Seek, Utah

Life365, Arizona

Naya Energy LLC, Arizona

SimpleWAN, Arizona

Finalists in will pitch live in concurrent competitions with a winner selected in each category. The winners will then go on to present a second time with an overall Venture Madness Champion crowned at the close of the conference. Categories and criteria for this year’s competition can be found here.

To register or learn more about the event, visit the Venture Madness website. Event sponsorships are still available,  contact contactus@investsouthwest.org for details.

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