CARSON CITY – New Tech Products of Amargosa Valley won the first Rural Nevada Startup Pitch Competition held earlier this month. The Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development hosted the competition with a goal of developing what it calls an “entrepreneurial ecosystem” in Rural Nevada.
Each company in the competition had seven minutes to make their pitch, and an additional five to answer questions from the judges—essentially an abbreviated form of the popular “Shark Tank” TV show. The top three competitors received cash prizes provided by NV Energy, with additional awards from StartUpNV and the Audacity Institute.
The winners were:
New Tech Products, LLC, first place and $1,150, for the Tidy Oil Changer. It is a molded plastic device that attaches magnetically to the oil pan to divert oil into a separate catch basin. A drill bit goes through the plastic device to loosen the screw to allow the oil into the plastic diversion device. It changes jobs into a white glove, clean job. New Tech also won the Audience Choice award.
Goat Shell, represented by George Skivington, earned second place and $500. Goat Shells are hard sided pop-up camper shells that come in two sizes to fit over regular and long bed trucks. They are priced much lower than their competition.
GL Innovation, represented by Gerald Laughter earned $250 for third place. GL Innovation makes battery interrupters for large vehicles and mining sites. Future markets include electric cars and aircraft.
