The Douglas C. Greene Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Catapult Creative House at Southeast Missouri State University are pleased to announce the finalists of the inaugural Southeast Startup Pitch Competition (SSPC) taking place on May 2.The finalists are as follows:

• Geocash by Josh Taylor of Ellsinore, Missouri
• Good Boy Vending by Emily Stansbury of Hillsboro, Missouri
• SaniFit by Wesley Mourton of Ballwin, Missouri, and Jeremiah Strong of Manchester, Missouri
• Creation for Communication by Whitley Bieser of Columbia, Missouri, and Wesley Lukasek of St. Louis, Missouri
• Studdy Buddy by Anthony Franco of Romeoville, Illinois, Carlos Ramirez of Romeoville, and Kade Fleming of Evansville, Indiana

Southeast students from the top five teams will pitch their ideas live at a Common Hour program from noon-1 p.m. in Glenn Auditorium of Dempster Hall. A panel of judges will critique each teams completeness, feasibility and investor attractiveness.The pitch competition is free and open to the public.The judges will award first place with a $2,000 cash prize, second place with a $1,000 cash prize and third place with a $500 cash prize (cash prizes are taxable).The Southeast Startup Pitch Competition is an opportunity for Southeast undergraduate and graduate students in any area of study to develop real-world skills by developing a pitch for an investable idea. Students can compete as individuals or teams.