Scraps on Scraps Wins Cox Business’ “Get Started Tucson” Pitch Competition
Local Company Awarded $5,000 cash plus business services in “Shark Tank-like” Competition during Small Business Week
Scraps on Scraps, a residential food waste pick-up company that makes composting easy for Tucsonans has won Cox Business’ “Get Started Tucson,” a Shark Tank-like competition in which local entrepreneurs pitched their business and product ideas to a panel of experts for a chance to win: $5,000 in cash plus Cox Business service for one year, a Cox Media marketing package and an Involta virtual server for one year.
Cox Business teamed up with Inc. Magazine on the event, which took place live at the Scottish Rite in Tucson May 14.
Scraps on Scraps – which picks up compostable waste bi-weekly and takes it to a 5-acre compost site at University of Arizona where it’s broken down into compost used for sustainability projects – was chosen from among five entrepreneurs for its product’s innovation, ease of implementation, and the potential benefits to the local community.
“The success of local businesses like Scraps on Scraps benefits the entire community, and we are committed to helping them grow,” said Pam Crim, vice president of sales, Cox Business southern Arziona. “We are thrilled to provide Shannon and Moira Sartin with this seed money and great technology package to help them grow! We hope all of our pitch participants learned from this unique experience.”
Shannon Sartin, co-founder of Scraps on Scraps, pitched to the judges then fielded a barrage of questions effortlessly. She’s thrilled with her win and said that the company will use the seed money to fund a marketing campaign and buy more compost buckets for home use. Sartin wants the Tucson community to know that “composting is simple and can make a huge reduction in our environmental impact.”
Inventor Nathaniel Bradley, co-founder and CEO of AudioEye and recognized expert in the new media and mobile Internet technology sector; Rick Gibson, entrepreneurial activist, investor and managing director of HOTventures, a “mentor capital fund” and Jim Blasingame, world-renowned expert on small business and entrepreneurship and president of Small Business Network, Inc. provided the real-time feedback to the entrepreneurs “contestants.” Kris Frieswick, award-winning journalist and editor at Inc. Magazine of Inc. moderated the discussion.
Other participating entrepreneurs included Darling Geomatics; Outski; SmartStar and Southwest Spirits
Get Started Tucson was the sixth event in the “Get Started” series by Cox Business and Inc. magazine. Previous winners included ScanMed QR in Get Started OKC, Fusion Cross-Media in Get Started CT, Post-Op Top in Get Started OC, and Care Technology, LLC in the Get Started RI competition.
About Cox Business:
Cox Business provides voice, data and video services for more than 300,000 small and regional businesses, including healthcare providers, K-12 and higher education, financial institutions and federal, state and local government organizations. The organization also serves most of the top tier wireless and wireline telecommunications carriers in the U.S. through its wholesale division. According to Vertical Systems Group, Cox Business is one of the largest providers of business Ethernet services in the U.S. based on customer ports and has been consistently recognized for its leadership among small/midsize business data service providers. For more information about Cox Business, call 1-800-396-1609.
About Inc.:
Inc., the only major business magazine dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies, delivers real solutions for today’s innovative company builders. It provides hands-on resources and market-tested strategies for managing people, finances, sales, marketing, and technology. In addition, Inc. looks beyond work to address the entrepreneurial lifestyle. Inc. inspires and informs, with cutting-edge coverage that reflects its readers’ energy, brashness, and imagination.
