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Satisfi, Inc. Wins Westchester County Association's Pitch Night

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Satisfi, Inc., an online app and customer feedback tool, won the Westchester County Association’s Pitch Night contest Tuesday at the Reckson Metro Center in White Plains.

Left to right are Jeffrey Borenstein,Christina Bechhold, Jeff Cohn, Marissa Brett, WCA; Randall Newman and Rungson Samroengraja, Satisfi; John Ritacco and Stanley Freimuth.

Left to right are Jeffrey Borenstein,Christina Bechhold, Jeff Cohn, Marissa Brett, WCA; Randall Newman and Rungson Samroengraja, Satisfi; John Ritacco and Stanley Freimuth.

Photo Credit: Contributed by Lynda Shenkman Curtis

Satisfi will receive a $10,000 cash grant, plus a coveted spot in the WCA’s BLUEPRINT Accelerator Network, through which it will receive one year of rent-free private office space in Westchester County, complimentary professional services, advertising in local media and access to financing and mentoring in Westchester County.

Courage Health, which delivers cognitive behavioral therapy services to treat depression via mobile applications, claimed the junior pitch contest prize of $2,500.

John Ritacco, president and chief executive officer of CMS Bank and a sponsor of the pitch contest, said the panel of judges selected Satisfi, Inc., because of the company’s growth potential. “Satisfi presented such a unique concept, with a platform that has the ability to give customer feedback to companies of all types,” Ritacco said. “This is how Milennials do business, and how they communicate today. It’s an awesome concept, and one that is poised to scale and grow.”

Edward Lutz, president and chief executive officer of Greater Hudson Bank, a sponsor of the contest, said he was impressed with all of the companies that presented their ideas.

“Pitch nights like this generate excitement, and startups generate employment and economic activity,” Lutz said. “We’re pleased to be part of the innovation process in Westchester County.”

The evening included presentations from eight startups — three finalists vying for the top prize and five runners-up competing for a junior prize —presenting to a group of investors, venture capitalists, experts in crowdfunding, real estate and business leaders and young professionals. This pitch contest follows the WCA’s highly successful inaugural pitch competition, held at the organization’s Health Tech ’14 conference last May. The panel of judges included Christina Bechhold, co-founder and managing director, Empire Angels; Andrew Ackerman, managing director, DreamIt Ventures New York; Jeffrey Borenstein, consultant, The Small Business Oracle; John Cohn, managing director, Diamond Capital Advisors; Stanley Freimuth, chief executive officer, Debt Resolve; and John Ritacco, president, CMS Bank. All pitch competition participants submitted a written application and business plan prior to the event. The top submissions were selected for the live pitch session. In addition, young entrepreneurs from the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), also had the opportunity to pitch their ideas. NFTE’s mission is to provide programs that inspire young people from low-income communities to stay in school, to recognize business opportunities and to plan for successful futures.  Grand Prize Contestants were:

  • Balancing Life’s Issues, Inc. of Ossining
  • Cyrus Contracting Corp of Cortlandt Manor
  • Satisfi, Inc.: Currently based in Montvale, N.J.; the founders are seeking a home in Westchester County. 

Junior Prize Contestants

  • Courage Health of White Plains.
  • Distinguished Designs of Mount Vernon.
  • InfraSonic Monitoring in Vestal.
  • Kaau IdeaLabs LLC in Peekskill.
  • TapX Trading

NFTE Contestants

  • Olivia’s Nook of Sleepy Hollow
  • The Personal Touch of Shrub Oak

 

 

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