Five Finalists Named for AUVSI Startup Showdown

March 11, 2020

For Immediate Release: Mar. 9, 2020Contact: Tom McMahon, tmcmahon@auvsi.org, (571) 255-7786

Five Finalists Named for AUVSI Startup Showdown

Companies to compete for $35,000 grand prize at XPONENTIAL 2020

 ARLINGTON, Va. – The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) has named the finalists to compete in the AUVSI Startup Showdown at AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2020 at the Boston Convention Center on Wednesday, May 6 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. EDT.

The Startup Showdown identifies up-and-coming, investment-worthy startup companies and gives them a platform to share their innovations with investors and organizations looking to form profitable connections with the next generation of game-changers.

These are the finalists that will participate in the competition:

• Civdrone, a construction tech robotic company developing a fast, reliable and accurate autonomous marking solution for the construction industry.
• Mesodyne, a Massachusetts-based company that has developed a power generator for unmanned systems requiring high endurance.
• Pierce Aerospace, a company that has developed Flight Portal, the Remote ID utility that enables mass commercialization of the skies for flight activities.
• Sentient Blue, an Italian and US-based company that has developed a hybrid microturbine power system for UAVs as a direct replacement for lithium polymer batteries.
• Tomahawk Robotics, a company that has created the Kinesis product line to address the challenges of operating multi-domain robotic systems beyond line of sight.

Each participating company will have the opportunity to pitch their business to a panel of industry leaders and an audience of unmanned systems professionals. A five-minute live question and answer session with the judges will follow. One grand prize winner will receive a package consisting of goods and services valued at $35,000.

AUVSI XPONENTIAL is the largest, most significant event for the unmanned systems industry. The 2020 exhibit hall will showcase 700 cutting-edge companies from around the world and feature educational programming by unmanned systems experts, providing information about the future of policy, technology and business solutions and trending topics.

Complimentary conference registration is provided to the media. For more information about the Startup Showdown and XPONENTIAL 2020 and to register, visit xponential.org, or contact Tom McMahon at tmcmahon@auvsi.org or (571) 255-7786.

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About AUVSI

The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) — the world’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of unmanned systems and robotics — represents corporations and professionals from more than 60 countries involved in industry, government and academia. AUVSI members work in the defense, civil and commercial markets. For more information, visit AUVSI.org.