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For the first time, Small Towns, Big Ideas, our uniquely rural pitch event, happened in person at the Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship at Dartmouth College and virtually via livestream.

Over 300 attendees watched five innovative, investor-ready scalable tech startups pitch their ideas to the judges for a chance to win a $10,000 prize. Viewers from 15 states chimed in virtually, cheered on their communities from special watch parties, and supported the startups in person.  

From Waterville, Maine to Wilson, North Carolina, and Durango, Colorado, the startups represented the varied rural experience of the communities in CORI’s Rural Innovation Network.  The five startups invited to pitch their startup were Agolix (Durango, Colorado), ElecGrid (Northeast Kingdom, Vermont), OsRostrum (Wilson, North Carolina), ParaAi (Waterville, Maine), and Wave Lumina (Traverse City, Michigan).

Each startup brought their own unique passion and innovative solutions to the stage.

“The diversity of industries represented— environmental monitoring, writing assistance, and more—highlighted the resourcefulness of entrepreneurs solving real-world challenges across rural America. It’s exciting to see the potential for lasting impact these ventures can have on their communities and beyond.” said Louisa Schibli, Director of Impact and Engagement for RuralWorks Partners and one of the event’s four judges. 

This year, North Carolina-based OsRostrum took home the grand prize. OsRostrum provides a low-cost mobile platform for farmers to quantify structural traits and develop precision breeding plans that improve cow health and longevity.

Catie McVey, founder of OsRostrum, stood out for her deep connection to her primary market – the dairy industry – and knowledge of the emerging AI technologies to transform breeding practices in the livestock sector. 

“OsRostrum presented a compelling pitch by demonstrating how the founder’s technical capabilities and deep industry knowledge are being applied to make a sizeable market more efficient and objective,” said Jay Bockhaus, Managing Partner, the CORI Innovation Fund. 

Catie demonstrated the core belief of Small Towns, Big Ideas: innovation can happen anywhere and geography shouldn’t limit access to opportunity.

“It takes bravery to be an entrepreneur in general, but to do it in a rural area is even more of a risk,” said Molly Pyle, Head of Entrepreneurship at CORI. “I so admire these founders and their tenacity and resilience. They and so many other rural founders like them prove that small towns truly are home to some of the best ideas and startups!”

Watch the recording

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