ABQid News:ALBUQUERQUE ― Tuesday, March 1, leading venture capitalists, angel investors and industry leaders are set to judge 12 startup pitches while ascending the ski lifts at Taos Ski Valley as part of the ABQid Ski Lift Pitch Contest. The event leverages an industry secret that investment insiders have known for ages.
Sharing an experience in a memorable setting leads to a more meaningful connection and opportunities for both the investor and startup. The 2016 ABQid Ski Lift Pitch judges represent some of the best venture capital firms in the U.S.
The current line up of judges includes:
- Ryan Edward, Director at Silicon Valley Bank
- Lee Rand, Santa Fe, Partner Sun Mountain Capital
- Nathan Mortensen, Scottsdale, Ariz., Tallwave Capital
- Craig Rones, Austin, Global Executive Director of Marketing, Dell Services
- Gary Gaessler, Denver, CO Co-Founder, Cloud Elements
- Kim Sanchez Rael, Albuquerque, Arrah Ventures, Flywheel Ventures
- Michael Gale, Austin, Texas, PulsePoint Group, Monitor Group, Strategic Oxygen, Micron Electronics/MicronPC.com
- Robbie Vitrano, New Orleans, CEO Innisfree, Co-founder: Trumpet/Idea Village/Freedom Pizza/Bootleg Spirits/Spiffly/Good Spread/Naked Pizza
- Tom Peterson, Phoenix, Ariz., Social Leverage
- Jonathan Greechan, San Francisco Bay Area, Co-Founder, Founder Institute
- Katie Rice, Albuquerque, Epic Ventures, BabyPage, ABQid
- Tamra Johnson, Los Angeles, 79 Studios
- Curt Roberts, Salt Lake City, Utah, Kickstart Seed Fund
- Kathleen Gardenswartz, Albuquerque, Entrepreneur Exploration Program, Sandia National Laboratories, co-founder, Surefi
- Ryan Mummert, Senior Vice President Family Wealth Director, The Horizon Group, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management
- Yasine Armstrong, Albuquerque, BabyPage, CNM STEMulus Center, Flywheel Ventures
- John McDermott, Santa Fe, RiskSense, ABQid
- Jessica Eaves Mathews, Albuquerque, Co-Founder, Hautepreneurs LLC and HauteHopes Inc., Board Member, Innovate ABQ
- Bill Bice, Albuquerque, Verge Fund, ABQid
The Ski Lift Pitch contest pairs startup founders with investors and industry leaders on Taos Ski Valley chair lifts. The startup founders will pitch to VIP judges on the lift the morning of the event, and the VIP judges will select finalists who will pitch over lunch. The grand prize winner will be announced at the 4 p.m. Après Ski event.
For more information on the event, visit here.
