Central Coast companies participate in a CSUMB business challenge.

SEASIDE, Calif. (KMUV) Every year, CSU Monterey Bay School of Business' Institute for Innovation and Economic Development hosts the Start-Up Challenge to support entrepreneurs, innovators and the community of Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties by offering, workshops, events, contests and opportunities to connect and create connections with other entrepreneurs and investors.

The Start-Up Challenge is an annual competition where new entrepreneurs can share their ideas and business plan for a chance to win prizes.

The goal is to make the Monterey Bay region a vibrant community of socially responsible innovation that offers economic opportunities to all its residents.

There are 5 divisions:

• Venture: companies that aim to scale and provide returns at the level of venture investors.
• Social: for-profit and non-profit businesses with an important social mission.
• Main Street: mall businesses and sole proprietorships.
• Student: students from high school through higher education institutions.
• Public: the public's favorite company who "invest" with Ottar Dollars and at the end of the night decide who won the most money.

Startup Challenge offers free workshops to participants to help them present their proposal, prepare for the pitch and develop key aspects of their business.

They had nearly 900 businesses compete in the Start-up Challenge and among the finalists this year was David Delgado with his pizza chimichurri--- Pizzauce.

David Delgado with his Pizzauce brand of sauce.
"And I wanted to make use of the opportunity to present it to the market, to attract a wider audience. And what better than to do it in the App Challenge?" Delgado said of his trademark.

And while he didn't win in the business division, he did come in second in the category.