22 Startups Vie to Participate in Venture Capital Platform’s Supply Chain Accelerator Program in Savannah

On Thursday, March 9th, Plug and Play Savannah hosted its second Selection Day at Savannah Station. The event featured 22 startups that pitched their innovative maritime, trucking, warehousing, and advanced manufacturing solutions to over 120 attendees. 

The public was invited to attend and audience members included potential investors and customers from all over the United States as well as decision-makers who are currently in the process of selecting at least ten of these startups to participate in Plug and Play’s Batch 2 cohort. Selected startups will receive access to resources through Plug and Play’s Supply Chain Accelerator program, including education, mentorship, and funding to help them succeed.

Each company had three minutes to pitch. Presentations ranged from data-management solutions to workforce management platforms to enhanced cameras and imaging and even international freight tracking technology. 

To name a few of the companies, Enexor BioEnergy presented its patented Enexor Bio-CHP™. The product, which resembles a shipping container, can be set up in under one day at a customer’s site and converts organic and plastic waste into clean energy that is used to power the system and the contracted company’s operations. Customers do not pay for the product but are simply charged for onsite setup and the service.

22 startups pitched at Savannah Station during Plug and Play Savannah’s second Selection Day event. Up to 10 of these startups will be selected to be a part of the next cohort.

Terzo Technologies presented its AI-as-a-service that extracts key data from documents so organizations can run analytics and make better business decisions. The service allows for 10% cost savings through contract intelligence, three times faster negotiations when it comes to handling contracts, and a reported 120% productivity increase across vendor management and procurement. In November of 2022, Terzo received $16M in funding led by Allign Ventures and they hope to successfully be accepted to Plug and Play’s cohort as well. 

Jake Flaherty is Head of Business Development for Terzo Technologies and shared about the company’s experience participating in Selection Day.

“The exposure Terzo received at Plug And Play Savannah’s [Selection Day] was undeniable. Through the incredible work of Nate, Catherine, and the rest of the Plug And Play team, Terzo met potential partners, including the Savannah Economic Development team, customers, and new hires.”

Exposure and awareness were huge pulls for startups to participate in the event. Prior to Selection Day, all of the competing startups took part in Innovation Alley after the Georgia Logistics Conference at the World Trade Center on March 8th. During Innovation Alley they exhibited their products and services to 800 conference attendees in the supply and logistics industries. Exhibitors included the Batch 1 Cohort startups like Really-Virtual (now BluWorkz), Casi, and Einride as well. 

If you recall, the venture capital platform hosted its first Selection Day in June of 2022 and saw over 20 startups present at the JA Colonial Center. Of those startups, 12 were selected including Einride. Diganto Choudhury, Director of Commercial Strategy & Business Development at Einride, shared about the successes of being a part of Plug and Play Savannah’s first cohort and what the autonomous freight vehicles are looking forward to now that the program is over: 

“The innovation and growth of the Georgia Port coupled with the tech ecosystem created by Plug and Play and Savannah Logistics Innovation Corridor brings startups and corporate partners together to solve the toughest problems. Einride is hoping to soon deploy its electric trucks with some of Plug and Play corporate partners in the Savannah area.”

Plug and Play Savannah partnered with the Georgia Port Authority, Maersk, Georgia Power, SEDA, Foram Group, SLIC (Savannah Logistics Innovation Council), Savannah State University, Savannah Technical College, and Georgia Southern University for the Selection Day event. 

Catherine Saunders is the Head of Program for Plug and Play Savannah. She shared how the collaborative work of the startup ecosystem is creating excitement, buzz, and most importantly opportunity for innovation and startups in the area.  “I’m most enthusiastic about the potential the upcoming cohort holds. The collective efforts of our team, the start-ups, our partners, and our community enable us to continue to drive innovation in the Coastal Empire. I’m hoping to be able to look back on these early days and regard them as the beginning of something spectacular,” she stated.

The Batch 2 selected startups will be announced in the coming days. The selected companies will have the opportunity to exclusively exhibit their startups to investors in June of 2023. Visit https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/savannah/ to learn more about Plug and Play’s work in Savannah and sign up for their newsletter.