Snacktivist Foods, Lumineye win Boise Startup Week pitch contests

Boise Startup Week this year included two pitch contests with $10,000 cash prizes for the winners – “Trailmix,” focused on processed food products, and a more general startup contest.

The winner of the Trailmix competition was Snacktivist Foods, a Coeur d’Alene company that creates egg-free and gluten-free baking and flour mixes. Snacktivist Foods received $10,000 and placement of its products in the new Albertsons on Broadway.

The winner of the general competition was Lumineye, a startup out of Boise State University’s Venture College that makes wall-penetrating radar sensors to help soldiers and first responders identify threats.

Scheduled for Oct. 17, 18 and 19, Boise Startup Week is one of the thousands of entrepreneurial events Techstars runs in over 100 countries around the world each year.

Boise State University’s Venture College canceled classes and sent students to the event instead to learn about entrepreneurship firsthand, said Ryan Vasso, associate director.

The college also dedicated a part-time employee to help out with the Trailmix competition, which had well over 50 applicants.

Annie Morley, president of the Idaho Virtual Reality Council, said Startup Week “plays a vital role in connecting the growing startup community and giving people the opportunity to hear from a wide range of successful entrepreneurs with various backgrounds.”