AKRON, Ohio (Nov. 2, 2018) – Four software startups from northeast Ohio will compete for up to $15,000 each and admittance to Bounce Innovation Hub’s accelerator, The Bit Factory, at the third annual FUEL Akron. FUEL will take place on Thurs., Nov. 15, from 5-9 p.m., at Bounce, located at 526 S. Main St., Akron.

FUEL is a unique pitch competition and live negotiation event created to help aspiring software startups launch new ventures and grow. New to this year’s event, finalists will be admitted to The Bit Factory’s Product Development Accelerator track, launching in January. There, they will work with experienced advisors to complete and iterate versions of a minimum viable product (MVP) by the end of the program. This year’s finalists are:

Linear Labs – artificial intelligence technology for market research and consumer insight; co-founded by Ted Troxell and Adam Miclot
• Quanterra Software – software platform for automated analysis of aerial images to help commercial drone inspections; co-founded by Mayer Ginsburg and Shoshana Ginsburg
• ReqPrep – Digital platform that simplifies and streamlines the ordering process the diagnostic lab industry; founded by Dan Soucek
Event Discovery Company – Developer of Evitt, a platform that integrates with websites to simplify online calendar management; co-founded by Joe Duncko, Andrew Jarvis and Chris Palmer

The public is welcome to attend, but seating is limited. There is no cost, but online registration is required. Food and cash bar are included. For more information, visit www.fuelakron.com.