Every year during the month of April, CVEP and numerous partners celebrate Riverside County Innovation Month. Innovation Month’s signature events are a series of Shark-Tank-style Fast Pitch competitions held in distinct regions throughout the county. The winners of each of these regional pitch competitions met on April 27 to compete to claim the title of Riverside County Fast Pitch champion!
The Coachella Valley startup ecosystem was represented by Guy Assif, CEO of Moducan Corporation, who won the Coachella Valley Fast Pitch. The Coachella Valley Fast Pitch was hosted by CVEP and held at the Palm Desert iHub on Thursday, April 6, 2023.
Moducan Corporation, a client company of the Palm Springs iHub, designs advanced temporary shelters for emergency needs, disaster relief, and defense applications.
In addition to Moducan Corporation, competitors at the Riverside County Fast Pitch Finale included: StarNav, iatrixAir, Melospeech, and Sulfuron, Inc.
Founders pitched their companies to an audience and panel of judges at UCR Arts in downtown Riverside. After deliberation, judges made their choices for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners for respective prizes of $10,000, $2,500, and $1,000. The winners were:
- Sulfuron, Inc.
- StarNav
- Moducan Corporation
What People Are Saying
“I am so proud to see the exciting leaps forward that Moducan Corporation has made over the past year. Their product is of unrivaled quality, and with the outstanding team they have assembled we fully expect them to be among the most successful companies to ever come out of the iHub program. We are fortunate that they have chosen to make the Coachella Valley their home, and it’s no surprise to me that they are among the top three innovative companies in the entire county,” said Laura James, CVEP’s VP of Innovation.
Fast Pitch Finale attendees shared that they were impressed by the caliber of presentations and by the availability and involvement of a wide Countywide innovation support network. Of the Coachella Valley Fast Pitch and Riverside County Fast Pitch Finale series, Mr. Assif added, “All in all, it was a fantastic experience and we are truly happy to have had the chance to participate.”
Riverside County Innovation Month is an opportunity to focus the spotlight on the Inland Empire as an ideal location for business, entrepreneurship, and innovation. In the Coachella Valley, Innovation Month is an especially great opportunity to change the narrative about the culture of the region, and to position the Valley as much more than what it is typically known for. While it is true that the Coachella Valley is the ultimate destination for festivals, entertainment, and lifestyle, it is increasingly becoming a world class destination for leading-edge innovation. Companies like Moducan Corporation are living proof.
