OCTANe's LaunchPad and Sports 1 Marketing to Colla

ALISO VIEJO, CA--(Marketwired - Aug 10, 2017) - OCTANe , Orange County's technology and life sciences accelerator organization, today announced a special strategic alliance with David Meltzer, CEO of Sports 1 Marketing and Executive Producer of a new digital network show, Entrepreneur's Elevator Pitch .

The premise of Entrepreneur's Elevator Pitch is for contestants to take a one-minute ride in the Entrepreneur Elevator to present their next big idea, product or business to highly influential investors. If the elevator doors open, the judges have five minutes to make a decision whether to fund the entrepreneur or let the opportunity pass them by.

As part of the collaboration, OCTANe's LaunchPad accelerator and Sports1 Marketing are joining forces to collaborate and identify high-potential companies for the televised show. LaunchPad represents high-quality, groundbreaking companies and will additionally provide initial diligence and research on companies selected prior to an investment decision from the judges.

"We've worked closely with the Sports 1 Marketing team, so it seemed like a natural fit for us to collaborate on providing innovative options for Entrepreneur's Elevator Pitch, " said Bill Carpou, CEO of OCTANe. "LaunchPad is recognized as a top accelerator and this opportunity allows us to expand the impact of this ground-breaking facet of our organization."

Since 2010, LaunchPad companies have received $1.6 billion of investment capital infusion and created 7,500 jobs. OCTANe drives innovation and growth by connecting people, resources and capital.

"Entrepreneurial companies, which are also partners for Entrepreneur's Elevator Pitch , such as Indiegogo, Entrepreneur Magazine and Sprint, provide a great complement to OCTANe's LaunchPad as we discover new and trail-blazing companies in Orange County," said David Meltzer CEO of Sports 1 Marketing. "This show provides small companies the exposure and credibility they are looking for to make ends meet and take their company into the next phase of growth. With OCTANe's LaunchPad as a strategic partner, we are pleased to be able to provide such a quality offering to small businesses and investors."

Season one of Entrepreneur's Elevator Pitch will be launching this fall on Entrepreneur Network. Distribution includes Entrepreneur, Sprint, Indiegogo, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Google Play, YouTube, USA Today and MSN.

About OCTANe

OCTANe drives innovation and growth by connecting people, resources and capital to fuel technology growth in Southern California. Its members represent technology leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, venture capitalists, academics, and strategic advisors, all working together to fuel innovation in Southern California. The organization has helped more than 800 companies via the LaunchPad™ SBDC accelerator. LaunchPad™ companies have received more than $2.1 billion in investment and equity exits. OCTANe annually welcomes more than 7,000 people to its programs and events. More than 2,000 business leaders throughout the region are OCTANe members. For more information, visit www.octaneoc.org .

About Sports 1 Marketing

Founded by Hall of Fame Quarterback Warren Moon and veteran sports & technology executive David Meltzer, Sports 1 Marketing is a global sports and entertainment marketing agency that leverages relationship capital and over 38 years of business experience, bringing athletes, celebrities, and businesses together to make a lot of money, help a lot of people, and have a lot of fun. Learn more about Sports 1 Marketing and their AMP program at www.sports1marketing.com/amp .

About Entrepreneur's Elevator Pitch

On the new Entrepreneur Media television series Entrepreneur's Elevator Pitch, entrepreneurs test their ability to sell their company and business plan while riding in an elevator to the top floor. Sports 1 Marketing CEO Dave Meltzer and three other business executives act as judges, evaluating each candidate as they summarize their vision before time runs out. Once the elevator reaches the top, the judges either send the elevator back down if they aren't sold on the idea or invite the candidate to continue pitching for another five minutes before they decide to invest in the company or not. Viewers are also able to invest in companies as well, through Indiegogo. You can submit your company at www.entrepreneur.com/elevatorpitch .