The owner of venture capital firm Mo Aloo Ventures is bringing TechXpedition back to Babcock Ranch in April for the second year, and again will put up $10,000 seed money for the winning entrepreneur.
Priya Ahluwalia, an entrepreneur in her own right, moved to Babcock Ranch in June 2021 and quickly became a mentor to budding entrepreneurs through the area’s first high-tech competition. In May, she became president of the Rotary Club of Babcock Ranch.
She comes from a background of teaching Chinese and Hindi languages.
Born in India, Ahluwalia was educated in the U.S. and has held positions in several countries. She’s lived in several states before moving to Southwest Florida with her husband.
In the eight months leading up to the “Shark Tank”-style event held over the weekend of April 26-28, Ahluwalia will hold a monthly Visionary Meet-Up from 6 to 8 p.m. on the second Wednesday of every month, beginning Sept. 13, she said.
“Everybody is a visionary,” Ahluwalia said.
She said even if a businessperson has owned their company for 30 years, “no one has a perfect pitch.”
Ahluwalia will teach them and those who dream of becoming an entrepreneur how to pitch their business or product in 30 seconds.
She admits mentoring and teaching have always remained close to her heart.
The aim of the meet-up, she said, is to help existing businesses to grow further, whether or not the owners plan to attend the TechXpedition.
The sessions will also help beginners get started in launching their new business.
The Wednesday meet-ups will be held at Slater’s Goods and Provisions, 42881 Lake Babcock Drive, Suite 100, in Babcock Ranch.
Ahluwalia said her vision is to build entrepreneurship in the region by creating a startup/entrepreneurship ecosystem at Babcock Ranch.
The competition in April is open to innovators of all ages who have ideas for businesses that leverage technology to deliver products and services in new ways, she explained.
Whether someone wanting to expand or create a business decides not to enter the TechXpedition, they can still come and learn about becoming an entrepreneur at no cost.
Like the panel of “Shark Tank,” Ahluwalia has invested in more than five startups in areas, such as food technology, education technology, electric motorcycles and drone technology.
The winner of the first TechXpedition was David Riha, who created a drone-artificial intelligence concept to predict roof damage.
Registration for the April 2024 TechXpedition opens in October. The cost is $35, which helps to cover the cost of meals to be provided over the weekend.
