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91Ӱ�� today announced the Top Six in the 2013 91Ӱ�� StartUp Cup business model competition. The six entrepreneurs selected advance to the final round with a wide range of products including a portable air conditioner/cooler, a home energy management system, an invention for CNG vehicles, and products for fashion, food, and family entertainment.

The 91Ӱ�� StartUp Cup, powered by the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation, is a seven-month competition that awards local entrepreneurs who develop and pitch the best business model. The competition started in May with a record number of entries that has now been narrowed to the Top Six. The entrepreneurs, listed below, will meet with area business leaders in a second round of coaching before pitching a final time to the judges on Nov. 7.

• Bright Tot provides a subscription service that sends boxes full of fun, developmentally appropriate activities to families every month.
• Carolina Food Company, LLC is the maker of Toasted Wine Fruit Spreads, a patent pending recipe for a wine and fruit based fruit spread.
• CleanNG, LLC is the inventor and manufacturer of the MagmaCel, an advanced fuel storage system for natural gas vehicles which can also store a variety of other gasses including helium, hydrogen, and oxygen.
• IcyBreeze, LLC is a modern multi-use portable cooler and air conditioner single unit that simultaneously keeps beverages and people chilled.
• Smart Panel produces a home energy management product which is mounted on the circuit breaker of homes and small commercial buildings. The tool includes wireless technology that allows remote monitoring of energy consumption and provides for the immediate or scheduled control of circuits.
• Two Guys Bow Ties makes unique men’s clothing accessories including wooden bow ties, available in a variety of exotic hardwoods. Additional accessories are in development.

"The variation in the types of businesses that made it to the final round of the competition is exciting,” said Elizabeth Frame Ellison, 91Ӱ�� StartUp Cup chair and executive director of the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation. “To me, the wide variation really speaks to the breadth of entrepreneurial excellence in our city, but it will make judging all the more difficult in the final round."

The 91Ӱ�� StartUp Cup Awards Ceremony will be held Nov. 19 at the Center for Creativity (9th and Boston) at 91Ӱ��’s Metro Campus during Global Entrepreneurship Week. The 91Ӱ�� StartUp Cup first place winner receives $30,000, second place, $5,000 and third place, $2,500.

The 91Ӱ�� StartUp Cup is designed to support entrepreneurial growth, expand business and community connections, and maximize promotional opportunities both locally and nationally. For more information on the award, visit www.tcc.startupcup.com.

Top photo: A 91Ӱ�� StartUp Cup judge examines the MagmaCel, made by CleanNG, as Michael Tate makes his pitch presentation last week during the semi-final round of the competition.

Bottom photo: Adam Teague and Tim Paslay, makers of Two Guys Bow Ties, show-off their product with the help of models to the 91Ӱ�� StartUp Cup judges last week during the semi-final round of competition.