WASHINGTON and AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 4, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Angel investors and venture capitalists have selected 12 of the hottest companies to take the stage at ShowStoppers® LaunchIt, the sixth-annual official "pitch" event for startup companies that exhibit at Eureka Park during CES 2018 in Las Vegas.

"ShowStoppers LaunchIt" is a CES 2018 Media Day Power Session scheduled for Monday, January 8, 2:30-4:30 p.m. at Mandalay Bay, one day before the CES show floor opens.

Working with the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which owns and produces CES, ShowStoppers LaunchIt helps entrepreneurs and startups raise early seed capital by selecting from the more than 900 young, innovative, transformative and entrepreneurial startups that exhibit in Eureka Park, a marketplace within CES where retailers, venture capitalists, manufacturers and others will find entrepreneurs launching new products, services, apps and ideas.

The 12 finalists are:

• Athom, from Enschede, Netherlands -- maker of Homey, the heart of the smart home.
• Big Boy Systems, from Wavre, Belgium – which developed and patented a camera and audio system made to see and hear like a human, recording in 3D and streaming content to VR headsets – used for surgery, psychology, technical training, education and entertainment.
• Cardiomo Care Inc., from New York City – maker of wearable technology and an analytics platform for heart disease prevention.
• Cinema Snowglobes, from San Francisco – the beloved nostalgic snowglobe, reinvented for the 21st Century.
• Cubomania, from Mykolaiv, Mykolaivs'ka oblast, Ukraine – interactive cubes to help children develop motor skills, logic, mathematics, financial literacy.
• Pebby Corp., from Sunnyvale, CA – a robotics company that strengthen the bonds between pet parents and pets, anytime, anywhere.
• Picoo, from Eindhoven, Netherlands – a robust, no-screen handheld that uniquely combines what kids love: interactive technology and active play.
• Robomart, from Santa Clara, CA – a fleet of on-demand, autonomous, self-driving stores for grocery retailers.
• SolarGaps, from San Francisco, CA – solving the world's energy crisis with a network of distributed-energy solutions for Smart Cities.
• Velco, from Paris, France – designing and selling solutions for smarter, more personalized urban mobility, including the Wink Bar, the first connected handlebar.
• We.Stream, from Amsterdam, Netherlands – which provides secure mobile WiFi hotspots with embedded Cloud SIM technology to enable unlimited data in 100+ countries.
• Zhor-Tech, from Nancy, France – which pioneers smart shoes.

This year's judges are:

• Nicholas Zaldastani, managing director, Zaldastani Ventures and a Mentor Capitalist leveraging his venture capital and serial entrepreneurial experiences.
• Marita McGinn, manager of hardware products, Indiegogo, an international crowdfunding platform.
• Sharona Justman, a businesswoman known for connecting companies and leaders to align in creating rich opportunities for business. She co-founded STEP Strategy Advisors, an advisory firm focused on technology and consumer products providing strategic planning and acquisitions advisory to facilitate expanding the growth of companies through market entry expansion planning and execution.
• Arthur Rubinfeld, former chief creative officer and president, Global Innovation and Operational Lead of Starbucks Reserve Roasteries for Starbucks Coffee and Founder of AIRVISION. Rubenfeld is known for leading-edge, visionary work in integrated brand positioning, marketing, and design in retail. He is the author of Built for Growth: Expanding Your Business Around the Corner or Across the Globe, which has been printed in six languages.

The winning company is invited to demonstrate and meet with more than 1,300 journalists expected to attend ShowStoppers @ CES, the press event that takes place Tuesday, January 9, at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas.

About CES:

CES® is the world's gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. It has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for 50 years-the global stage where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace. As the largest hands-on event of its kind, CES features all aspects of the industry. Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)^TM, it attracts the world's business leaders and pioneering thinkers. Check out CES video highlights. Follow CES online at CES.tech and on social.

About Consumer Technology Association:
Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™ is the trade association representing the $321 billion U.S. consumer technology industry, which supports more than 15 million U.S. jobs. More than 2,200 companies – 80 percent are small businesses and startups; others are among the world's best known brands – enjoy the benefits of CTA membership including policy advocacy, market research, technical education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CTA also owns and produces CES^® – the world's gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. Profits from CES are reinvested into CTA's industry services.

About ShowStoppers
Now in its 24th year, ShowStoppers is the global leader in producing press and business events spanning the US, Europe and Asia. Each event organizes product introductions, sneak previews and demonstrations for selected journalists, bloggers, industry and financial analysts, venture capitalists and business executives. Industry leaders, innovators and startups exhibit to generate news coverage and product reviews, make new connections, promote brand, and open new markets. ShowStoppers produces events at CES, Mobile World Congress and Mobile World Congress Americas, among others; the official press events at CE Week, IFA, and NAB; and partners with CES and CTIA.

For questions relating to the ShowStoppers Launchit event, contact Dave Leon, director of sales, +1-845-638-3527.

Contacts:

Allie Fried
Consumer Technology Association
+1-703-907-7603

Steve Leon
Partner, ShowStoppers
+1-310-936-8530

SOURCE ShowStoppers