VR Medical Simulator and Laker Taker Crowned Finale Winners!

What a fantastic way to end our Big Gig season with 110 people packed into the ball room of the Black Bear Inn! As you can see from one of the pictures above, we switched things up a bit for this year's Finale by inviting Big Gig Jr. pitchers to participate. Big Gig Junior is in its pilot season, and this year 7th graders from Leonard Middle School created inventions and then pitched their ideas at an event called Invention Convention. The top three pitchers were selected during that event and then invited to attend our Big Gig Finale, where their pitches were played.

To start the night, we watched the pre-recorded pitches from the Big Gig Jr. contestants. Nate Tibbitts started off the pitches with his Laker Taker, an ice fishing rod holder and alarm. The next Big Gig Jr. contestant was Ben McPhee with Ben's Brick Box, a noise-reducing Lego storage container. The third and final junior pitcher was Jordan Spencer with Re-Reed, a flavored liquid that makes instrument reeds taste better. If you to want see these well-done pitches, watch here!

First up for the adults was Tyler Cote, and he pitched his company, Lorraine's Cakes, a gluten-free and vegan cake producer. Krishna Jamadagni then pitched AiSteth, his idea for an electronic stethoscope that can diagnose heart and lung problems using Artificial Intelligence. The third and final Big Gig pitcher of the evening was Patrick Breeding with Zephyrus Simulation, the creator of a virtual reality medical trainer. After some constructive feedback from our Big Wig judges, Carrie Darling Meo, Vice President/Owner of Darling's & Owner of Anthony John's Day Spa, Bruce Nickerson, CFO of Bangor Savings, and Eric Marshall, Counsel at Eaton Peabody, the audience and the judges voted for their top choice, and Patrick Breeding was crowned the Big Gig Finale winner, receiving $5000! Not to be forgotten, Nate Tibbitts was announced as the winner for Big Gig Jr, receiving a small cash prize.

We were also lucky enough to have Bettina Doulton, Owner of Cellardoor Winery and Phi Builders + Architects, as our "Big Rig" guest speaker! She told us the story of how she went from being a multi-billion dollar fund manager at Fidelity to the owner of a winery and construction company in Maine. Thanks to all who attended, and we look forward to seeing you at our first 2018-2019 season event this fall!