11-23-16 by Kym McNicholas On Innovation

We have eight of the top 25 startups from around the world vying for a chance to present live on stage at the world’s largest consumer electronics show in Las Vegas, CES, for the ultimate prize of pitching Virgin brands billionaire sir Richard Branson on his private island. They include a company that allows you to create the materials used for 3D printing and recycle the scraps to use again, a new gel technology that stops traumatic bleeding on contact, and an intellegent Electric Vehicle charging system designed for multi-tenant facilities.

While companies throughout Silicon Valley boast about their big raise of Venture Capital to fund their startups, Colin Earl, CEO of Agiloft, which creates business applications that don’t require you to code in order to implement, touts his bootstrapping roots. He and his co-founder and wife, have taken the road less traveled these days, building a company organically with NO VENTURE CAPITAL support…and get this…. Operating the business off of its own revenue to this day with 2.5 million users worldwide. He also shares the secret to employee retention during a time when developers are always looking for the next bigger, better deal. Also, get ready to break the sound barrier once again as you travel overseas as Boom is poised and ready to send you to London, Tokyo, and Australia in a supersonic jet much more efficient and cost-effective than the Concorde. Boom founder/CEO Blake Scholl talks about how new developments in technology and materials have paved the way for “affordable” supersonic travel, while key investor Peter Truwit with Seraph Group, talks about the potential for innovation in aviation.

Fran Maier and Kym McNicholas interview Portfolia CEO Trish Costello. Portfolia.com is an investing platform for the 5 Million plus accredited women to invest in the companies they want to succeed in the market. These innovative companies are often led by women and / or target the large women’s market. Trish shares her journey and her observations that wealthy women want to invest differently and how Portfolia makes that happen!

Host Kym McNicholas and Bill Tai, co-founder of the world's largest startup competition, the Extreme Tech Challenge, shares the quarter finalists vying for a shot at pitching on stage at the world's largest consumer electronics show in Las Vegas this January, CES. The startups, which are each at a key inflection point, poised and ready to scale, will compete there for the chance of a lifetime: To pitch Sir Richard Branson and an esteemed panel of judges on his private island, Necker. Hear some of the most innovative startups representing some of the biggest trends in technology from around the world, including the next electric sports car, the world's smartest stethoscope, a big breakthrough in beer brewing, and cancer screening with your mobile phone. For more on these companies, go to http://extremetechchallenge.com/top25/ .

In the first half of the show, Mark Weiner, the Chief Marketing Officer at Versa shares his wealth of 20 years of wisdom and expertise, as well as the latest trends on what’s going on with software and Cloud networks. He says we're not even close to the potential for transitioning hardware into software. He'll explain what to expect and how it could impact your business. Plus, he explains how Versa’s executive team managed to secure $43.35M in new funding from three large Silicon Valley venture firms. And find out how this successful CMO is balancing business and winemaking and how you can do the same in creating wines that truly suit your taste. No more wasted tastes! In the second half of the show, the Founding CEO of MainTool, Hussein Ahamed. MainTool has developed the world's first leather smart straps for classic watches that give your traditional timepiece the same features and connectivity as today's best wearables. MainTool's vision is to seamlessly embed technology everyday accessories that are already a part of people's daily lives. With their first product, they want to connect the 1.3B unit watch industry and become one of the most adopted wearables in the world.

The ultimate networking app is about to launch. Candice Bar owns the largest face-to-face networking company in the world, Vision Aires, that connects high net worth business professionals together and helps solidify relationships. Candice is about to launch her life’s work bottled up into a new networking app. You'll hear all about how face to face communication and technology can help improve your business and create connections that count. Dr. Robert Nathanson talks about the newest addition to the beverage industry, which is an adult Otter Pop called, Sloshee. It's all natural ingredients, except for the Blue Agave Tequila. He talks about his first major retail outlet adoption, which is Beverages & More. Plus, he explains the secrets to getting an alcoholic beverage on to a crowded shelf and to market it in the very tough to break into consumer market and create mass adoption.