Technology entrepreneur Bear Simerson is the first entrepreneur from the Greater Palm Springs area to come in first at the Fourth Annual Riverside County Fast Pitch Finale held on April 28, 2021. Simerson was one of five Riverside County entrepreneurs who qualified for the Finale by taking top honors at an official Riverside County Innovation Month regional pitch competition. Simerson won Fast Pitch Greater Palm Springs to qualify.
Also a first for the Finale: a stalemate among the judges. For the first time in the competition’s history, judges awarded two first-place prizes, having emerged from their deliberation room to inform event organizers that no amount of additional discussion would change the fact that they saw two equally qualified top competitors.
“Each year, the competitors from our region get more impressive,” said Laura James, CVEP’s VP of Innovation. “We are seeing an increase in very well-educated entrepreneurs like Bear with ideas that solve real problems, and the tenacity to follow through. We are excited to continue to provide guidance to this outstanding new Palm Springs iHub portfolio company as he grows this cutting-edge business in Greater Palm Springs.”
Tied for first place were Simerson, co-founder of Palm Desert-based 3C.Health, and Steve Ward, founder of Riverside-based Future N Focus Dream Catcher Enterprises. The first place prize of $10,000 and second place prize of $5,000 were combined and divided equally among the two first place winners, with each taking home $7,500.
Winning Validates the Vision
“I was truly truly shocked when they announced the winner,” says Mr. Simerson. “There were some amazing companies with great presentations. But when we won, it was such an amazing feeling.”
Mr. Simerson’s award winning company, 3C.Health, is an innovative, virtual hospital model that allows medical providers to care for their patients in their homes. Using remote monitoring technology, telemedicine, machine learning and integration of medical records, 3C has the potential to lower costs, reduce readmittance rates, and change patient behavior for the better. 3C.Health is a growing startup company with plans to hire up to 12 employees in Greater Palm Springs by the end of 2021.
Mr. Simerson also says he believes winning even further validates his company vision. “This validates our view of how we feel healthcare should be and we are even more inspired to fulfill that vision within our community. The guidance and resources that were provided from CVEP leading up to the competition were so valuable to our presentation and we can’t thank them enough for their continuing support.”
