TiLT tops in IQ Awards Innovation Challenge

LOVELAND — Fort Collins-based TiLT, a web-based parental leave management platform, took home first place Thursday evening at BizWest’s Northern Colorado IQ Awards Innovation Challenge.

The event was part of the Bravo! Entrepreneur program, held at the Embassy Suites in Loveland.

TiLT, a trade name used by Career Allies Inc., is led by founder and CEO Jennifer Henderson. The platform takes parents-to-be and their employers step-by-step through the leave process in order to boost retention, maintain engagement and reduce employee stress.

SPONSORED CONTENT

Empowering communities

Rocky Mountain Health Plans (RMHP), part of the UnitedHealthcare family, has pledged its commitment to uplift these communities through substantial investments in organizations addressing the distinct needs of our communities.

“We are revolutionizing parent leave in the workplace,” Henderson said during her presentation at the Innovation Challenge, a pitch competition featuring Northern Colorado firms younger than five years old.

The other challenge finalists were New Iridium LLC and Red Mountain Scientific Inc., both Fort Collins firms.

New Iridium, which placed second in the Innovation Challenge, has developed a photoredox catalysis system to make the pharmaceutical drug-manufacturing process faster and more cost-effective. The photoredox catalysis uses light rather than heat to stimulate the chemical reactions necessary for drug-making.

New Iridium’s system is “poised to become the next generation of drug-development technology,” company founder and CEO Chern-Hooi Lim said during his pitch.

Red Mountain Scientific, which uses drone-based image capturing and artificial intelligence to provide infrastructure management support for the wireless communications industry, placed third in the challenge.

“We’re a young and growing technology company focused on one thing: changing the way industries manage their critical assets,” Red Mountain founder and CEO Mike Moses said.

Jana Sanchez of LaunchNo.CO joined Techstars’ Pascal Wagner and Saba Karim as judges for the challenge. While the judges asked questions and provided input after the pitches, the winner was chosen by the IQ Awards attendees.

As the event’s winner, TiLT will receive a $10,000 package of in-kind services from challenge sponsors Coan Payton & Payne LLC, Eide Bailly LLP, Huebner Marketing and MAPR. New Iridium and Red Mountain Scientific receive in-kind prize worth $7,500 and $5,000 respectively.

“This is a game-changer for us,” TiLT’s Henderson told BizWest after the company was declared the winner. “We have been scrappy and boot-strapped for the past two years and this is huge. Having partners like this will help us get our name out there and get our work out there. I’m thrilled.”