Connecticut Innovations (CI), the leading source of financing and ongoing support for Connecticut’s innovative, growing companies, today announced the winners of VentureClash, $5 million global investment challenge for early-stage companies in digital health, financial technology, insurance technology and the Internet of Things. The final pitch event was held on Thursday, October 18, at the Yale School of Management in New Haven.
In all, nine companies from six different countries participated in the final pitch event. VentureClash judges awarded six companies with investments, mentoring and customer introductions to help them grow and succeed.
Among the finalists who were selected to each receive a $500,000 investment award, are:
- CloudKPI: An Irish company developing an insight engine that enables SaaS businesses to predict likely outcomes.
- Invixium: A Canadian manufacturer of modern biometric solutions for markets needing strong user authentication, convenience and data analytics.
- Paygilant: An Israeli technology company working to prevent mobile payments fraud on mobile devices in the preauthorization phase.
“The VentureClash competition continues to introduce some of the world’s most innovative and promising early-stage companies to all that Connecticut has to offer,” said Matt McCooe, CEO of CI. “From the initial application period through to the finals, we were so impressed with the caliber of leadership and the depth of innovation represented by the companies involved in the competition. We thank them for their efforts and commitment and look forward to working with the companies to help them make Connecticut a center point of their growth strategy.”
The VentureClash competition started with applications from 300 companies from more than 15 countries. After two rounds of judging, nine finalists were named, and they then went on to compete at the live pitch event.
About VentureClash:
VentureClash is Connecticut Innovations’ global venture challenge focused on early-stage companies. The challenge identifies promising companies in digital health, financial technology, insurance technology and the Internet of Things that will receive investments from a $5 million award pool and the support of resources around Connecticut. To learn more, visit http://www.ventureclash.com.
About Connecticut Innovations Inc.:
Connecticut Innovations is Connecticut’s strategic venture capital arm, providing funding and strategic support to early-stage technology companies. In addition to equity investments, CI provides grants that support innovation and collaboration through CTNext, and connections to its well-established network of partners and professionals. To learn more, visit http://www.ctinnovations.com.
