Chaifetz Group has announced that ten companies have advanced to the semi-final round of the inaugural Chaifetz STLaunch investment pitch competition. Over the next week, Chaifetz Group will continue to meet with and diligence the semi-finalists to determine who will advance to the final round and be invited to pitch live at Chaifetz Arena on Monday, January 28, 2019.

During the live event, three to five past Arch Grants Recipient companies will pitch the Chaifetz Group leadership team an opportunity to partner and receive an equity investment of up to $1,000,000. To be eligible for investment through Chaifetz STLaunch, companies must have a presence in, or commitment to, St. Louis.

The “shark tank style” live pitch event is free and open to the public. It will also feature a Q&A session on Venture and Growth-stage Investing with Richard and Ross Chaifetz, led by Emily Lohse-Busch, Executive Director of Arch Grants.

The ten semi-finalists are listed below. Only five (or less) will advance to the live pitch event:

KNOWiNK

KNOWiNK’s product, the Poll Pad, uses innovative technology to better equip Poll Workers, simplify voter check-in, and provide instant updates to voter history.

Juristat

Juristat transforms raw patent application data into actionable analytics allowing patent attorneys and agents to optimize prosecution and marketing strategies.

Corvus Robotics

Corvus Robotics helps warehouses, distribution centers, and manufacturing facilities understand their physical footprint and inventory using intelligent aerial drones.

Sunstation

Sunstation USA is the #1 resource for community sunscreen dispensers. They provide 100% all-natural, Eco-friendly, SPF-30 broad spectrum sunscreen everywhere under the sun.

Lean Media

Lean Media is an audience-first programmatic online advertising platform that improves digital advertising for agribusiness.

Sensrtrx

SensrTrx is an affordable manufacturing analytics platform designed to collect and display actionable data from the shop floor.

S4 Agtech

S4 Agtech allows the Ag value chain to be covered against supply loss due to systemic weather events (droughts and floods.

Blue Line Technology

Blue Line Technology is a software company composed of former military and police professionals who are integrating proven crime prevention methods with new technology to overcome some of today’s most challenging security issues.

AppsCo

AppsCo is an advanced Cloud IAM (Identity Access Management) solution that helps you manage access to your company applications and gives you meaningful insights over sensitive data flow.

The Whether by Better Weekdays

The Whether is a recruitment marketing platform that helps university recruiters build and nurture diverse talent pipelines.

Follow-on Investment in Startups Who Committed to St. Louis

The partnership is an effort to provide a vehicle for follow-on funding past Arch Grants Recipients who retained a base in St. Louis. Chaifetz Group is a private investment firm that partners with entrepreneurs, business owners and management teams to accelerate the growth of world-class businesses across a multitude of investment strategies.

Ross Chaifetz, Director of Venture at Chaifetz Group, said, “The pool of nearly 60 applicants was impressive and diverse. The selected semi-finalists are incredibly strong, and are a testament to the spirit of innovation embedded in St. Louis’ startup ecosystem.”

“We’re excited to invest in and partner with some of the spectacular founders that have come through Arch Grants. We look forward to seeing the St. Louis community come out on the 28th, and to showcasing some of the best startups that St. Louis has to offer.”

Annually, Arch Grants awards $1,000,000 in equity-free grants to 20 new startups and early-stage businesses from across the country. To date, Arch Grants has awarded over $7 million in cash grants to attract or retain more than 130 early-stage businesses in St. Louis.

When the partnership was first announced in October, Arch Grants Executive Director Emily Lohse– Busch said, “Our goal is to make sure Arch Grants Recipient companies have access to the resources they need to stay in St. Louis and succeed, and follow-on investment is critical for many of them.”

“Chaifetz STLaunch is the first step in the partnership between Arch Grants and Chaifetz Group, and the first step in many initiatives both entities are working on to strengthen the St. Louis startup ecosystem.”