PROVIDENCE – (November 11, 2024) - On November 7, 2024, the Rhode Island Business Competition held its 19th annual Pitch Contest at Venture Café.

At this high-energy pitch contest over 25 people presented their business ideas in a 90 second pitch format to a panel of judges, including Kristie DeJesus, Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship & Design Thinking at Bryant University, Marcelino Santiago, President and COO at Hope Global, and Jack Steele, a Partner at Hinckley Allen.

The business ideas ranged from medical devices to food and drink items to junk removal.  The first-place winner who received $500 was Jay Gopal, founder of Kyron Medical and a student at Brown University. His business streamlines medical billing through automated claim submissions, denial handling, and real-time insights resulting in maximizing revenues for physicians. 

Second place winner receiving $300 was Heather Boyle, founder of Buyer for Hire which provides car buying coaching and deal reviews to ease anxiety and prevent buyer’s remorse. Joahluis Molina, owner of  That Junk Removal Company, was the third-place winner receiving $200. 

Celebrating its 25th year, the Rhode Island Business Competition fosters development of companies by inviting emerging and established entrepreneurs to submit ideas for a business, in any industry, that is based in Rhode Island and has strong growth potential. The most promising ideas will receive cash and services. 

The Competition is supported by a broad range of sponsors that include private businesses, investors, foundations, colleges and universities, public entities, nonprofit organizations, and former competitors. Today, we are one of the leading community-supported business competitions in the Northeast.