SAN LUIS OBISPO — The Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) will host its annual Demo Day that will showcase eight startups in a virtual event Friday, Sept.18

Company representatives, who ordinarily would pitch their respective startups in front of a live audience, will shift their presentations to a YouTube live stream.

The event culminates the CIE’s 2020 HotHouse Summer Accelerator program — an intense, three-month program that helps students and recent graduates who have developed new products and ventures. Representatives of the eight participating companies will give demonstrations and pitches to answer questions about their entrepreneurial efforts.

“I am so impressed with the inspiration and resilience of our student entrepreneurs throughout this 12-week program,” said Jose Huitron, CIE’s director of student innovation programs. “Their adaptability and resilience were in abundance this year in these unprecedented times, and Demo Day is an incredible opportunity to showcase how much these startups have progressed over the summer.”

The highly competitive summer CIE program provides $10,000 in seed money to each company, hands-on strategic business guidance from expert advisors and mentors, as well as weekly workshops with accomplished startup founders who guide the teams through a wide range of topics from design thinking to fundraising. The budding entrepreneurs also receive training, introductions to investors and resources to help their startups move forward.

The members of the 2020 cohort of CIE Accelerators, whose work with advisors to help to fine-tune the progress of their startups over the course of the program, will show how their hard work has paid off.

“The accelerator program has given us the guardrails we need to pivot, learn, and grow faster than we ever could on our own,” said Vince DeSantis, founder of startup Fruji. “Access to mentors and weekly workshops has been invaluable for our company development and ensures our questions never go unanswered.”

This year’s accelerator cohort includes a variety of industries and disciplines:

— Blueline Robotics is building the next generation of tactical robots for first responders. Their mission is to enable police and fire departments access to new life-saving technology. www.bluelinerobotics.com

— Bridge is increasing access to mental health services for those seeking care by connecting verified mental health professionals across all license types on a secure referral and messaging platform. www.bridgemh.com

— CADU+ provides information to help navigate the accessory dwelling unit (ADU) process and connects homeowners with service professionals according to their preferences. Their mission is to provide the best experience for homeowners and builders, connecting them and service professionals with the best tools, resources and vendors. www.caduplus.com

— Fruji makes it easier for people to snack healthier. The company is re-defining the gelatin snack category by making the first of its kind all-natural, functional and convenient gelatin treats. www.eatfruji.com

— Imperium believes the way that people work, learn and play is rapidly evolving. They support and encourage this evolution by demonstrating that the workable environment shouldn’t be limited by outdated reliance on Wi-Fi and power. They will do this with MO, Imperium’s Mobile Office that keeps all your devices charged and connected with an all-in-one portable charger and hotspot. www.imperiumwork.com/

— Nova connects friends and family from throughout the world. Using blockchain technology, Nova provides a seamless, mobile, international payment platform. novapay.app

— Perch protects lives and property by detecting wildfires in vulnerable and remote areas. They do this by distributing a network of sensors across the power grid to monitor the surrounding environment. The sensors are built for reliability and long-term wildfire protection applications. Perch detects and predicts wildfire progress in an effort to protect that which people hold dear: community. http://www.perchsensing.com

— SNACK WITH SOPH is a healthy customizable snack subscription box delivered to your door. The boxes not only contain snacks derived from whole food ingredients but also create a place for members to gather and freely express themselves. Together, they are able to support clients’ successes and setbacks as well as highlight topics in the mental health space, eating disorder recovery and female empowerment. www.snackwithsoph.com

Demo Day is sponsored by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Professional Corp., a law firm specializing in business, securities and intellectual property law, and Harvest Management Partners LLC, a global investment banking firm providing unique mergers and acquisitions services for technology companies. The event is free and open to the public; advance registration is required for the virtual event. For more information and to register, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/demo-day-tickets-113397623344

About the Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The CIE opens a world of entrepreneurial opportunity to Cal Poly students, faculty and community members and promotes entrepreneurial activity and dialogue across the university and throughout San Luis Obispo County. For more information, go to cie.calpoly.edu.

Contact: Candice Conti
805-756-5171; clconti@calpoly.edu

September 9, 2020