First annual Sweetwater County Innovation Launchpad underway

Wyo4news Staff, [email protected] [PRESS RELEASE]

ROCK SPRINGS, WYOMING — The first annual Sweetwater County Innovation Launchpad is a startup competition run by IMPACT Sweetwater, a partnership between the University of Wyoming’s IMPACT 307 and Western Wyoming Community College (Western).  This year twenty-eight applications were received. After reviewing the submitted materials and deliberating, nine semi-finalist companies were chosen to move on to the next stage of the competition. These semi-finalists will receive mentorship from IMPACT 307 and will participate in a business Bootcamp which will be run by IMPACT 307. Four additional companies were also invited from the applicant pool to participate in the Bootcamp. 

The Sweetwater County Innovation Launchpad is an IMPACT 307 regional startup challenge that is supported by local donors: Rock Springs Chamber of Commerce, Green River Chamber of Commerce, Rock Springs Main Street URA, the Economic Development Administration, Governor Gordon’s Wyoming Innovation Partnership, and the Wyoming Business Council. 

The semi-finalists were chosen from applications that follow the Lean LaunchPad methodology. Each applicant had to define a customer’s problem and propose a solution for that problem via their company products or services. They also had to discuss the ideal customer for their product or service. IMPACT 307 thanks Tiffany Kindel of Commerce Bank of Wyoming for helping judge the semi-final rounds. 

Applicant companies will give pitch presentations to compete for a spot in the final round. All semi-finalists will then receive additional mentorship and Bootcamp sessions. The competition will culminate in a Pitch Day competition at the Broadway Theater in downtown Rock Springs on September 13, in the early evening. Seed funding will be provided to the winning companies.