SeNSE Looking for Startups to Pitch for $125,000 During Baton Rouge Entrepreneur Week

SeNSE announced that its 15th Pitch Night will be held during Baton Rouge Entrepreneur Week, kicking off on November 11th, 2012. SeNSE was put in charge of the pitch night, along with the Baton Rouge Area Chamber and Greater Baton Rouge Business Report, and they are currently looking for startups to pitch. Applications are now being accepted at sensebr.org and are due on October 12, 2012.

The best part about this pitch night is that everything will be live– the audience’s reactions, the final negotiations, and the investment decisions. The list of the five successful entrepreneurs and angel investors was recently release, each of which are willing to invest $25,000 or more in the right startup companies.

“I’m very excited to serve as a “shark” for this 15th Pitch Night during Baton Rouge Entrepreneur Week and have the opportunity to contribute to some of our region’s most promising startup companies,” said Todd Graves, Raising Cane’s founder and CEO.  “More than 16 years have passed since I started Cane’s, but I vividly remember how hard it was to start my business. I know how much it means to receive investment capital and mentorship and I look forward to offering support to these entrepreneurs.”

The regional entrepreneurs and investors who will judge the competition include:

Todd Graves, Owner and Founder of Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers
Graves is an entrepreneur. He started his business with one store in Baton Rouge and has now expanded over the years to include stores in 17 states.

Mike Wampold, Founder and Owner of Wampold Companies
Wampold companies is a real estate company focused on development, construction, major capital renovations, and property management in Louisiana. They currently have over 100 employees and have worked with buildings including City Plaza, II City Plaza, Chase North Tower, Shaw Plaza, and the Renaissance Hotel.

Lane Grigsby, Founder and Chairman of Cajun Industries
Cajun Industries has successfully completed over $2 billion in contracts in a range of industries including government work, water quality, power, manufacturing, and industrial. Grigsby also founded the Baton Rouge branch of the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), which became the premier chapter in the United States.

Joe Agresti, President and Co-owner of Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge
Since Agresti’s arrival, sales have increased in all departments by over 200 percent and profits by over 400 percent since he joined the business.  In 2005, he was awarded the prestigious Mercedes Benz Best of the Best Award.

Kevin Couhig, Founder and CEO of Source Capital
Couhig is the chairman of PreSonus Audio Electronics, is on the board of managers of Bon Carre Business Center LLC, and is on the board of US Agencies Insurance Company.