SOUTHFIELD—Ten fledgling companies will compete for $35,000 in prizes at the “Micro Makers Pitch Event” to be held on Wednesday, June 22 at Centrepolis Accelerator at Lawrence Technological University.

The virtual event will feature startups creating innovative physical products—startups that are being established by historically underrepresented populations in the City of Southfield and Wayne County.

The event begins at 3:15 p.m. with an introduction and welcome from Dan Radomski, executive director of the Centrepolis Accelerator; Southfield Mayor Ken Siver; and Wafa Dinaro, executive director of the New Economy Initiative. An introduction on the program will be led by Experts-in-Residence at Centrepolis Accelerator, Dennis Shaver and Daniel Hodges.

Ten companies will pitch in two sessions, 4:10 to 4:55 p.m. and 5:35 to 6:20 p.m. Between the sessions, Nezar Akeel, founder and CEO of exercise equipment maker MaxPro, will provide insight on “lessons learned and pitfalls to avoid from a successful consumer goods company.”

Judges for the event are Mayor Siver; Wafa Dinaro; Nezar Akeel; Rochelle Freeman, director of business development for the city of Southfield; Paul Riser, senior program officer at the Ralph Wilson Foundation; and David Farbman, partner at Farbman Group.

The pitching companies are:

  • AptumBuild: Designers of a lightweight, high strength, easy to assemble modular wall and building system; which allows for the creation of versatile temporary structures
  • Carpet Puller:Developers of power-assisted, carpet cutting and removal products
  • Celcius: Developers of all-natural ionized water material through a proprietary process that has proven effective to kill bacteria and viruses
  • Leafinator: Developers of a rugged, all-in-one leaf and lawn care clean up device
  • LucyPop: Developers of a nano-fiber product designed to offer a healthy and long-wearing nail polish alternative within the nail care industry
  • Pareto Aluminum Systems LLC: Developers of lightweight, easy to assemble, low-cost, multi-functional flooring systems for vans, buses, and specialty vehicle
  • Pingree Detroit: Developers of hand-crafted bags, accessories and footwear, using high-quality leather reclaimed from the auto industry
  • PlugZen LLC: Manufacturers and distributors of electric vehicle charging systems
  • VersaWare: Developers of smart kitchen appliances that allows users to build any meal by virtue of its own nutritional composition in real-time.
  • Wareologie LLC: Developer of a portable parallel bar system for physical therapy

The following prizes will be awarded:

  • $10,000 for best growth stage company
    • $5,000 runner-up growth stage company
  • $10,000 for best early stage company
    • $5,000 runner-up early stage company
  • $5,000 for a People’s Choice Award, sponsored by Ward Law

To register, visit https://conta.cc/3KHLVAZ.

More at www.centrepolisaccelerator.com.