GRAND RAPIDS ? Nannette Wiltjer said she felt StartupCentral?s year-end event, which brought together fledgling entrepreneurs like her and seasoned venture capitalists, was very useful. She got a chance to button hole several potential investors, who gave her feedback on her elevator pitch ? the object of StartupCentral?s Pitch Your Business in Five Breaths cocktail party Monday night in downtown Grand Rapids.

Wiltjer?s business ? CFY Wipes ? manufacturers easy to use canisters that provide sanitary wipes that can be used to clean off work out equipment in gyms, shopping cart handles and tanning beds. While enjoying limited success, Wiltjer is like tens of thousands of other entrepreneurs in Michigan looking for someone to invest in her dream.

On Monday night at the Crush Bar, Wiltjer pitched her company to Jack Aherns, a managing director in TGap Ventures, a Kalamazoo venture capital company. Aherns said she did a pretty good job.

?We?ve met a lot of good companies at this party,?? Aherns said. ?This event also is giving these companies that work with StartupCentral as much hype as possible.?

StartupCentral co founder David Brenner and Tom Edwards have been running twice monthly coaching sessions for dozens of West Michigan entrepreneurs for a year. Brenner said he hopes to get teams of start ups ready to advance to the Great Lakes Entrepreneur?s Quest business plan contest, where he serves as chairman.

Brenner and Edwards used the cocktail party environment to give StartupCentral graduates the opportunity to practice their Five Breath Test pitch. The drill answers five investment questions:

What is your idea and what problem does it solve;

Who wants it and why;

Why they should want it from you (your sustainable competitive advantage);

Why they should want it now (your call to action);

How you and/or the investor will make money if they buy it.

Brenner said the event went terrific.

?I heard of two entrepreneurs that got wind of a business in Ann Arbor with which they might partner,?? he said. ?It was a great way to end the year.?

Brenner, who was undecided earlier about whether they?d be a second year for StartupCentral, said he and Edwards have decided to continue it on in 2005, although the format will change from two monthly meetings to just one. For information on StartupCentral, click on StartupCentral.Com