Can this pitch competition produce Camden’s flagship startup?

The movement to build up Camden’s tech ecosystem keeps gaining momentum.

Camden Catalyst is the latest push to get more companies to start their tech journey across the bridge into the South Jersey city (as, by the way, now-acquired success story RJMetrics once did). Sure, it’s a pitch competition, but also a cohesive push from the most visible players in that revitalization movement to yield a Camden-based startup that can serve as flagship in the city’s narrative.

The final pitch session for the event will be held Sept. 16 at Waterfront Lab. Waterfront Ventures, Waterfront Media and Hopeworks ‘n Camden are also backing the effort.

The winning startup gets some runway by way of seed money from a prize pool of $25,000. Part of the prize money was donated by Cloudamize CEO Bob Moul.

I'm donating $10k to help launch a tech startup in Camden this fall. Will you join me? #CamdenCatalyst https://t.co/xAnnbjzarG

— Bob Moul (@bobmoul) May 30, 2017

Why did Moul kick in the cash for the competition?

“I want to prove that we can create pathways to employment in tech jobs for our city youth,” Moul told Technical.ly. “If we can do that in Camden we can do it anywhere: including Philly. I hope to learn a lot through the process.”

Mind you, to be an entrant there are a few conditions:

• The pitch must feature a fresh premise (that means no existing startups).
• The startup must be in the tech space.
• The winning company must open their headquarter in Camden.
• The first hire must be from Camden.
• The startup’s workforce must be at least 50 percent Camden city resident or students.

Let’s see watcha got, Camden.

(Oh, and now that you have your pitch decks ready, ABC’s Shark Tank is also coming to the area looking for companies.)