You decide which Maine entrepreneur gets $30k to fuel their business

Update: I just got word from Gorham Savings Bank that the competition is fierce. As of Friday afternoon, there were 2,293 votes, and the leader is only 14 votes, or 1.6 percent, ahead of the #2 pitch. It’s going to be a squeaker!

The LaunchPad competition, which will reward one entrepreneur with $30,000 to put toward their business plan, is now in its final stage.

Gorham Savings Bank, the competition’s sponsor, held a live pitching event in Portland last Thursday in which seven semi-finalists (out of 250 applications) competed for one of three final spots.

Those three finalists have been named. Who will be the ultimate winner is left up to the general public. The live pitching event was taped, and videos of the three finalists’ pitches are now on YouTube (and embedded below). Watch the pitches, pick the one you like and then visit the LaunchPad website to choose who you think deserves the $30,000 to move their business plan forward. Voting ends April 8, and you can only vote once.

The finalists are…

Ben Polito, co-founder and president of Pika Energy, a startup in the wind energy space based in Gorham:

Chris Kinkade, founder of Green Bee Soda in Brunswick:

Jeremy Litchfield, founder of Atayne, an outdoor and athletic apparel company in Brunswick:

Now that you’ve watched the pitches, vote for the winner at the LaunchPage website.

Whit Richardson

About Whit Richardson

Whit Richardson is Business Editor at the Bangor Daily News. He blogs about Maine business, entrepreneurs and the economy.