Tucson-area startups win boost from IdeaFunding pitch contest

A startup marketing a line of kid’s products celebrating play and culture and a maker of spiked teas were the top winners at the 26th edition of the IdeaFunding business-pitch competition in Tucson.

Berry Cultured LLC won the main-stage grand prize at IdeaFunding on Thursday night, receiving $25,000 and a one-year sponsorship with the University of Arizona Center for Innovation incubator program, which sponsored the top prize with UAVenture Capital.

Berry Cultured, which markets a line of toys, gifts and other items to promote culture-based play through an online store, is led by founder Heidi Calderon of Tucson and has its main office in Phoenix.

The company also won IdeaFunding’s $5,000 Adelante Prize, supporting diverse founders and sponsored by the Community Investment Corporation.

Ray Ray’s Sonoran Spirit Tea, a Tucson-based maker of spiked tea drinks founded by Rachel D’Acquisto, won second prize, $5,000 and a one-year sponsorship with the UACI, co-sponsored by Startup Tucson.

Ray Ray’s also was awarded the $1,000 Tucson Foodie Prize sponsored by Tucson Foodie.

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IdeaFunding, part of the weeklong TenWest Impact Festival, was presented by the Arizona Commerce Authority with the UACI as funding partner.

The other prize winners, all based in the Tucson area, are:

• $5,000 Social Impact Prize sponsored by United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona, awarded to Xoco, which offers Spanish bilingual play and multilingual experiences;
• $1,000 Liftoff Prize sponsored by the UA’s Tech Launch Arizona, awarded to Fringe Metrology, which offers software for high-precision surface measurement;
• $1,000 Sustainability Prize sponsored by Cox Communications, awarded to NexoTerra, which repurposes discarded cannabis plants into biodegradable plant-growing cubes;
• $1,000 People’s Choice Award sponsored by Hivemetric and Startup Tucson, awarded to The Earnest House, a transitional living space.

In addition, four companies were each awarded $2,500 for winning pitches in vertical industry competition: Tech and bio-industry, Tempe-based Beyond Silicon; food industry, Tucson Tea; consumer products and services, Originals by Eva; and software as a service, Breathe EV.