Bunker Labs Veterans in Residence 2021-bravo Pitch Competition Winners Announced

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Nov 16, 2021, 10:05 ET

CHICAGO, Nov. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of the Marine Corps' birthday and Veterans Day weekend, Bunker Labs held a pitch competition on November 10th. Participants drawn from the current Bunker Labs Veterans in Residence program cohort competed for their share of over $25,000 in prize money from the Ford Motor Company Fund. Veterans in Residence is made possible in part through partnerships with USAA, Macys, and WeWork.

"I couldn't be more proud of the polished, substantive pitch presentations each of our participants provided. All of our winners seem to be on the cusp of explosive growth, which is a credit to their talent, hard work, and determination to seize every opportunity," said Bunker Labs CEO Blake Hogan. "Our Veterans in Residence team is so lucky to work with such passionate entrepreneurs, and getting to see the results of that collaboration is just a gift."

Competition judges included Luke Kaufman of the Ford Motor Company Fund, CEO Kim Jung of Blanchard House, and Rick Narpaul, founder and CEO of Mach1.

And the winners are:

First Prize ($15,000): Samar Parikh won the day with Pathfinder Health, a smartphone and web app subscription service that helps measure and monitor health and growth milestones, and provides clinical screenings of children under five for under-diagnosed conditions.
Second Prize ($7,500): Monica Goodson's Happy the Birthday Bird took home second prize. Happy is poised to do for children's birthdays what Elf on the Shelf did for Christmas.
Third Prize ($3,500): Nathaniel Torres earned third prize with Lavi, an app-based delivery service dedicated to reducing the app-delivery carbon footprint that also removes the middle-man commission and enables customers to deal directly with businesses they order from.

About Bunker Labs: Bunker Labs is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and a national network of Veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs dedicated to helping members start their own businesses. Bunker Labs is committed to seeing that every entrepreneur and small business owner in the military-connected community has the network, tools, and resources they need to start their own business.

About Veterans in Residence: One of Bunker Labs flagship programs, Veterans in Residence is a business incubator providing Veterans and military spouse entrepreneurs with community, education, and opportunities focused on launching and growing their business ventures. The current program is made up of 24 local cohorts in cities across the United States.

SOURCE Bunker Labs