Among a sea of twentysomethings, this team's leader knows he stands out. "My name is Craig Crismon, CEO of TiFiber, and yes, I am an older student at the University of Arkansas," Crismon says, kicking off his presentation (later he explains that an MBA was on his bucket list).
Crismon's calm confidence, from 16 years in sales, serves as an anchor for a team that could get frazzled trying to explain their complex technology. TiFiber plans to use titanium dioxide to produce industrial filters -- a $45 billion market. TiFiber will use grant money to create a working prototype, which they say is more durable than what exists. They need to raise $500,000 more for manufacturing. Companies like DuPont and 3M are possible future customers.
Making the finals at Rice was a first for TiFiber. "We haven't put together a good presentation and Q&A all in one place," says CFO Brock Hauser. "We're finally firing on all cylinders."
Judge's comment: "The technology sounds promising, with the most solid evidence being the heat resistance. They need to specifically address where they'll deliver a real advantage compared to what's already out there."
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