Birmingham, MI -- (ReleaseWire) -- 12/05/2006 --StartupNation, http://www.startupnation.com/, the online entrepreneurial community and content company, announced today that Phil Camillo of PixLit is the winner of its recent, nationally-broadcast Elevator Pitch Contest. StartupNation designed the contest to educate entrepreneurs and help them in creating a 60-second business-plan pitch for potential investors.
Camillo competed with 14 other elevator pitchers on StartupNation's nationally-syndicated radio program. The StartupNation online community voted and ultimately chose three finalists. After delivering his pitch once in the preliminary round, Camillo refined it and came back on the air to face the Sloan brothers and angel investor Frank Hennessey in the final round.
Runner-up Lynne Sandler of "A Sound Match" presented her idea for an online dating website that matches people based on their taste in music. And runner-up Jennifer Jones discussed her vision of a community center that combines assisted living and a learning facility.
Both Sandler and Jones presented top-notch elevator pitches. But in the end, Camillo won the unanimous favor of all three judges by pitching his company, PixLit, a virtual school that sells video lessons and special services to parents. Camillo was awarded the grand prize of "The Ultimate Hookup." He will be flown to the StartupNation office for in-person coaching and "hooked up" with three potential investors.
"We give kids a fun learning experience complete with online videos and interactive games while supporting parents in virtual communities," states Camillo. "And best of all, parents can individualize learning for each child and track progress online. All our lessons are created by content experts meeting national education standards, and we offer special member services like our live, online 24/7 tutoring. With the Ultimate Hook-Up prize, we hope to fully realize the vision contained within our name - to help parents improve their children's literacy through the visual media."
To meet other entrepreneurs, get free startup advice and voice your opinion:
. Join the StartupNation entrepreneur community at http://www.startupnation.com/pages/community/index.asp.
. Listen live to StartupNation Radio Saturdays (7 p.m.-8 p.m. EST/4 p.m.-5 p.m. PST) or log into the StartupNation Radio podcast at http://www.startupnation.com/pages/radio.
Be on the air and get expert advice for your startup!
You can also visit StartupNation Radio online (http://www.startupnation.com/pages/radio/index.asp) or call-in 866-557-8278 (7 p.m.-8 p.m. EST/4 p.m.-5 p.m. PST) to ask the Sloan brothers your questions live on the air. If chosen, you'll have the opportunity to promote your new business to a nationwide audience and get valuable startup advice!
About StartupNationR and the Sloan Brothers Founded by life-long entrepreneurs Jeff and Rich Sloan, StartupNation provides entrepreneurial advice via a nationally-syndicated radio program and online content for entrepreneurs who want to start and grow a business.
Through the StartupNation.com online community (http://www.startupnation.com), entrepreneurs can access articles, podcasts and seminars, and network with peers and mentors. The Sloan brothers are also authors of "StartupNation: Open for Business," (Doubleday, 2005).
They've been featured in many national publications and frequently appear on national television.
About PixLit
PixLit (www.pixlit.com) is an e-commerce website that helps homeschool parents improve their children's literacy through visual media.
PixLit's products include on-line video lessons and interactive games on math, science and the language arts created by nationally recognized education experts and a special tutoring service where children receive unlimited help on any educational topic from qualified online teachers - live, 24/7. PixLit parents can individualize their child's learning and monitor usage, progress and assessment results while collaborating with other parents in live webinars, chat rooms and discussion forums.
Media Contact: Melanie Rembrandt, melanie@startupnation.com, 248-540-9660 ext. 333
Phil Camillo of PixLit Virtual School Wins StartupNation's On-Air Elevator Pitch Contest
Entrepreneur chosen by StartupNation.com community wins small business coaching and "The Ultimate Hook-Up" with three angel investors