The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) has debuted the first episode in its new five-episode streaming series chronicling the ninth year of its Launch Pad competition. The series showcases the ingenuity of rising entrepreneurs in the automotive industry as they pitch their new product or service to a panel of industry experts.

Fifteen individuals have been selected out of a record number of applicants last spring to advance to the semi-final round. From there, five of them will be chosen to compete for cash and prizes at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nev., where the series finale will be filmed before it airs on the History Channel on a future date.

One winner will be selected to win the grand-prize package valued at $92,000, which includes $75,000 to help launch their innovative new product. The remaining 14 semi-finalists will also receive prizes that will help them in their entrepreneurial journey.

The semi-finalists are:

Cameron Crummie - Owner, MDV
Adam Gruener - CEO, Off Road In Mind
Jonathan Hurley - Owner, ToolBox Widget
Monika Kalenski - President and CEO, MEK Magnet
Brendan McGrath - CEO, Dyme Performance Systems Inc.
Robert McKeirnan - President and Managing Partner, Stratos Meccanica LLC
D.J. Potter - CEO, Sawtooth
Alan Reyes - Co-founder and President, Xtrusion Designs LLC
Kevin Robinson - President, TRAC LLC
Paul Rooprai - CEO, AutoBio LLC
Michael Ruhs - Co-founder and CEO, TailHand
Tom Sawarynski - Owner, Off-Road Research
Michael Sullivan - Owner, Fox Products LLC
Edward Tansingco - President, Thinskinz
Dustin Woolf - Owner, Woolfpack Racing

“It’s a highlight every year to give up-and-coming entrepreneurs the chance of a lifetime,” says Nathan Ridnouer, VP of Councils and Membership. “This year, we’re even more excited to bring audiences a more comprehensive and personal look at our annual competition; it’s like Shark Tank for the automotive aftermarket industry.”

Past winners of SEMA Launch Pad include Roland Hence of FrontLane, Inc. (2020); Reid Lunde of Kaizen Speed (2019); and Matt Beenen of Builtright Industries (2018).

The first episode of “2021 SEMA Launch Pad” is available for viewing now on the SEMA Show YouTube channel, with the remaining episodes debuting on each Tuesday from Oct. 5-26. For more information about the 9th annual SEMA Launch Pad Competition, visit www.sema.org/launchpad.

Tagged: online series

SEMA debuts new online series for annual launch pad competition