Orange County Register

I’m back after some networking while the TCVN judges tried to pick the best investment possibilities. They couldn’t decide on just 10 so they picked 11.

Most experienced business people in the audience thought the 52 presentations (one more came in after my last post) were the good, the bad and the ugly. Some didn’t even tell what they did.

Now on to the Semi-Finalists. Bart Greenberg wisely is naming them one at a time “in no particular order” so the crowd doesn’t leave en masse as they realize they have been cut.

As you read, think “Would I put my money into this company?” That’s what professional investors ask themselves.

1. Fastcall411: As Google spiders crawl the Web, Fastcall411 spiders do local search on phone calls

2. Ribo Sight: technology that directs medicine precisely; simple, concise. Sounds impressive. I hope the judges understand this better than I do.

3. Verde Power Supply: “I was going to run up like the Academy Awards!” says Chief Executive Robert Arnon.

“You’re not that good looking!” comes a voice in the back.

Verde is about energy savings of 35 percent. Arnon says competitors are at 10 percent. Do any of you readers know?

4. Low Impact Living: “Inconvenient Truth” fans ask what they can do for the environment; this company seeks to answer that from “green real estate purchases to nontoxic paint. TheWeb site has 100 paid listings and revenue of $200,000. Profitability is at least two years away.

5. WorkBlast: Online video resumes gets more than 1 million hits a month, Operations Manager Nick Murphy says. Site fully integrates with staffing companies. WorkBlast can be content provider for competitors. Company needs $105 million - make that $1.5 million, he says to laughter from the back.

6. RideGrid: We connect people who trust each other for one-time ride,” founder Jeff Anderson says. Combines Manhatten taxi with ridesharing using mobile phones.

7. Televite: Telephone-based version of evite, which sends invitations over the Internet. Televite uses cell phones. “You can call people until they RSVP.” co-founder Jeff Briggs says. Oh great! no more dodging those social obligations you don’t like.

8. Aweli Inc.: Interactive video marketing. Company creates marketing videos, places product in videos and can track exactly who watches each video in what form. Aweli also places product in online videos.

9. K-9 Genetics Corp.: Predium treats for pets is the fastest growing segment of pet food. The company will also provide exercise programs because so many U.S. pets are obese.

10. Universal Combustion Technologies Inc.: Two million diesel engines are in U.S. use but not in vehicles and are a huge pollution problem. The company has a converter that cleans up these “nonroad” diesel engines. Would you put up $350,000 to get this company to the next step.

11. Secure Wireless Transfers: “We also go by ‘Push Cash’ which sents money from cell phone to cell phone,” says Brian Ballo. Banks will embed credit cards into cell phones and you will swipe your phone over microreader to pay for groceries, gas, etc. Company is trying to raise $3.5 million from venture capital and $1.5 million from corporations.

“The company has some debt that must be cleaned up,” Ballo says. Uh oh. Wonder what that means.

Pick your 3 favorite and then read my next post.

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