For Hub City Times

MARSHFIELD — HATCH is a community-based startup pitch platform that aims to convert strong ideas into business plans and, in turn, launch new companies in central Wisconsin.

At HATCH, three to five presenters have five minutes to pitch their brightest business ideas in front of judges and a live audience. The audience has a chance to evaluate and vote for their favorite idea alongside the judges. The winner receives $2,000 in cash and an invitation to attend the end-of-year finale, which will be Nov. 9.

The winners’ event will offer the opportunity for the four semifinalists and one wild card from the initial events to again pitch their concepts for the chance to win a $10,000 grand prize.

Three pitch events have taken place since April and the fourth will be on July 19 in Marshfield. The event starts at 6 p.m. inside the former Hudson’s building at 12 N. Central Ave. in Marshfield.

Anyone who is interested in attending the event is welcome and is encouraged to RSVP at eventbrite.com/e/hatch-marshfield-tickets-35238662789. Visit facebook.com/MarshfieldYP for more information.

Judges at the Marshfield event will include Brenda Dillenburg, dean at Mid-State Technical College; Mark Nelson, owner of Microscopy Innovations; Michael Agarwal, chief information officer at PreventionGenetics; David Meisner, former owner of Norm-E-Lane Farms; Karen Olson, Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce & Industry business development director; and a representative from BrightStar, a nonprofit foundation created to facilitate job creation and increase Wisconsin’s economic activity and that was involved in HATCH’s development. Mayor Chris Meyer will help host the event.

Previous HATCH events

A crowded historic firehouse in Stevens Point was the site of five business pitches on April 26. The winning pitch was from Leak Siphon Flush Valve, which aims to reduce leaky toilets to zero waste.

Peter Parker and Landis Brozak stated, “Leaky toilets are the biggest water wasters and leak up to 200 gallons per day. There are 250 million toilets in the U.S. that leak 25 billion gallons per year. We have developed a simple flush valve that can reduce this leakage to zero.”

A large crowd gathered in Golden Eagle Log Homes’ cabin and showroom for the Wisconsin Rapids HATCH event on May 24. Four businesses pitched their ideas and competed for the $2,000 prize funded by Incourage Community Foundation. The winning pitch was made by Stevens Point-based Arbre Tech.

Arbre Tech aims to automate the data tracking processes used in tree nurseries. Matthieu Vollmer and Ben Meyers created a product that offers real-time inventory tracking, reducing labor costs and creating time for arborists to invest in specialized and technical processes.

It was a packed house at the YWCA for the Wausau HATCH event on June 22. Four businesses pitched their ideas, and the winning pitch was made by Stevens Point based Unpublished.io, a web platform for building and sharing research projects.