Trio lines up for venture funding

Three Gulf Coast-based companies were selected to present business plans at the Florida Venture Forum's seventh annual early stage capital conference.

The companies were three out of 20 chosen statewide to deliver six-minute presentations to an audience of venture capitalists, private equity investors, angel investors, investment bankers, financial intermediaries, and entrepreneurs. Businesses selected to present at the conference, scheduled for May 15 at the Reunion Resort in Kissimmee, include:

Dock-n-Lock: Sarasota-based automotive electronics firm aims to eliminate distracted driving that stems from texting and other cell phone fiddling around that people do behind the wheel. The Dock-N-Lock system works with any cell phone or smart phone and in any kind of car. A driver places a phone in the firm's box and then the system searches for the driver's phone by identifying a non-removable tag placed on it. The driver can't access the phone while the car engine is running. The firm has marketed the system to fleet operators, among other industries. (See Business Observer, Dec. 14, 2012.)