Startup of the Year® Virtual Pitch Event Honors U.S. Veteran-led Companies

WASHINGTON, July 21, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Established®, the consultancy that bridges the gap between organizations and innovation, will host its fifth online event since the Coronavirus outbreak. Sponsored by .US, a top level domain, web builder, and Official United States Country Code, the virtual pitch competition will take place this Thursday, July 23 (1-2:30 PM EDT) and will honor U.S. Veteran entrepreneurs by providing a global stage to elevate their brand, as well as provide access to investors and expert leaders in the industry.

The July 23rd event will highlight five early-stage Veteran Founders. Each participating startup has received special 1:1 pitch coaching from Jen Consalvo (Co-CEO, Established) and Lori Thiel (VP, Programs, Established) in preparation of the fast-paced pitch competition. Hundreds of online attendees will watch the pitches and then have a behind-the-scenes listen as the presenters engage in Q&A with a panel of esteemed judges. The winner will take one of top 100 Semifinalist spots at the 8th Annual Startup of the Year® Summit, taking place virtually November 9 - 10, 2020. In addition, the July 23rd winner will automatically be fast-tracked to one of at least ten spots competing in the .US Veteran Startup of the Year category and its $10K non-dilutive cash prize.

The year-round 2020 Startup of the Year competition will culminate at the Summit, and the .US Veteran Startup of the Year is a category within the overall competition that was created in partnership between .US and Established.

Expert judges for the Veteran Founders event are Kim Folsom (Co-Founder and CEO, Founders First Capital Partners, LLC, and Founder, LIFT Development Enterprises); Derren Burrell (President and Founder, Veteran Ventures Capital); Jennifer O'Daniel (Investment Director, CIT GAP Funds); Burunda Prince (Chief Innovation Officer, B6 LLC); and Jason Rathje (Partner - AF Ventures, AFWERX).

The five Veteran-led startups that will compete are: Govlia (Fort Lauderdale, FL); Milk Money Kitchens (New York, NY); Target Arm (Ridgefield, CT); TCare (St.Louis, MO); and Trugenomix (Rockville, MD). There is a People's Choice Award poll open for the public to vote for their favorite. The winner will be announced during the live event.

Established is pleased to also announce that its final online pitch competition leading up to Summit will take place on September 3 and will celebrate Black Founders. Throughout the years, Startup of the Year has cultivated and supported inclusivity in its programming. To honor its commitment to Black-led startups, Established will further leverage its platform and global network. The deadline for startups to apply is August 6th. If a company has already applied to the 2020 Startup of the Year competition, there is no need to apply again.

Register for the July 23rd event: https://sotylive72320.eventbrite.com

Apply to the Startup of the Year and/or the .US Veteran Startup of the Year category (rolling deadlines): https://www.startupofyear.com/application

Black Founders, apply to the September 3rd pitch competition: https://www.startupofyear.com/application

Grab your free .US domain: https://soty.link/USdomain

About Startup of the Year®
Powered by Established, the Startup of the Year program is a global competition, world-wide community, and resource to elevate startup founders. Since 2006, the Established team has discovered and supported promising and innovative startups from around the world via this annual competition, its Investment Community, Daily Dealflowtm newsletter, Startup of the Year Podcast, Activation Events, and more. For more about the Startup of the Year program, visit https://www.startupofyear.com.

About Established®
Established is a consultancy focused on helping organizations with their innovation, startup and communication strategies. Created by the talent responsible for building the Tech.Co brand (acquired in 2018), Established leverages decades of experience to help collaborators build their brand, engage audiences and accomplish their goals. For more about Established, visit https://established.us.

About .US
Registry Services, LLC is one of the largest registry service providers in the world and has successfully managed the .US top level domain space on behalf of the U.S. Department of Commerce since 2001. .US is the domain that connects cause and country to make your venture a success. Together, Registry Services and .US are proud to support the Veteran community through the Startup of the Year Competition. To learn more about .US, please visit http://www.about.us.

SOURCE Established