Finalists for Energy Capital Start-Up Challenge Announced

Energy Capital Development announced the five finalists for the second annual $50,000 Energy Capital Start-Up Challenge. Two of the five finalists are based in Sheridan. Adam and Briar Feist have developed The Blind Wrench, a mobile mechanic service providing customer site repairs on small engine, power sport equipment, automobiles, and trailers. Nathan Roma created Root to Shoot, a microgreens farm that provides year-round fresh produce while realizing a reduction in water and electricity usage over traditional farming methods.

The other three finalists include White Hat from Dan Knievel and Nick Boltin, a managed security service provider business that specializes in ransomware protection and incident response services for companies in critical infrastructure and high-risk

sectors; Inflatrix, a creation by Mark Thoreson that is designed to reduce the time, discomfort, and difficulty of placing dental fillings in back teeth during dental procedures, and Power Theory, predictive energy software developed by Isaac Almejo-Ponce and Luke Macy that reads, stores, analyzes, and presents building energy data that can help reduce energy consumption.

The finalists will now progress to the Energy Start-Up Challenge Pitch Night, where they will compete for the $50,000 seed fund established for the event. Three winners will emerge from the five finalists, and they will split the seed fund based on specific capital need appeals to the judge panel. Each winner will receive a $5,000 award on Pitch Night, with the balance of the seed fund allocation made in a follow-up review that will happen in February 2025.

The 2024 Challenge Pitch Night will be held on Wednesday, December 4, 5:30 PM, at the Gillette College Technical

Education Center, 3251 South 4-J Road in Gillette. The event is free and open to the public. The City of Gillette will  have a livestream of the event available – a link will be published in the few days leading up to December 4.