DALTON, Ga. — Selecting six semifinalists from 61 applicants wasn’t easy, according to organizers of a contest to find Dalton’s next big business idea.

“This number could have been as many as 14,” said Barry Slaymaker, head of strategy at Barrett Properties.

Slaymaker and other organizers have spent the past month reviewing applications for Pitch DIA (Dalton Innovation Accelerator), in which entrepreneurs will get to pitch their ideas to business leaders and potential investors in a format similar to the TV show “Shark Tank.” The winners will be the first tenants of the Dalton Innovation Accelerator, which will be in Barrett Properties’ Landmark Building in downtown Dalton. The winners will be given office space and mentorship and other services to help them turn their ideas into actual businesses.

“Each of these entrepreneurs brings an idea or a business to the competition that is potentially disruptive in their chosen industry,” said Slaymaker. “Each of the chosen applicants outshone the field in the following areas: uniqueness of idea, financial viability, economic benefit to the Greater Dalton area and opportunity for success.”

Stacey Roach — chief operating officer at Inventure IT, another of the organizers — said the six semifinalsts are “great examples of the innovative products and businesses that we found across the applicants in our inaugural competition.”

“Each semifinalist ultimately represent brilliant solutions spanning vastly different industries and markets. It’s very exciting to witness first hand all the energy, hard work and intellect exhibited by all of our entrepreneurs, but we saw something even more special in these six,” he said.

These are the semifinalists, as described by the organizers:

• AgHawk, which provides a technology-based solution for the more effective monitoring and scouting of agricultural fields. 

• Expedition Outside (Ex Out), an electronic marketplace to match rural and suburban landowners with recreational land users seeking to engage with nature. The founder’s goal is to address the increasing disconnect between our population and their environment.

• K12 Logistics, a platform that intends to transform the way educational attainment and standards are designed, implemented and measured. The specific focus of this venture is the acquisition of essential skills and progress along the pyramid of intervention.

• Le-Glue, a patented, non-permanent glue for building blocks, allowing for reusability when immersed in water. Le-Glue has been recently well publicized and is already well on its way to success, but the founders see the benefit in progressing through the Pitch, mentoring and accelerator process.

• LeashPro, a worry-free and hands-free way to combine advanced hardware and software to make your pet safer. In its prototype stage, LeashPro has the ability to be revolutionary in the field of pet protection.

• Peacock Technologies, which seeks to address the issue of employee engagement in the manufacturing space by leveraging technology to improve goal alignment and the team mentality. Founded by Georgia Tech engineers, Peacock Technologies is positioned to disrupt an entire industry.

“K12 Logistics is partially based in Statesboro, but their technology piece is based in Dalton, and LeashPro’s founder is based in Calhoun, but the rest are based in Dalton,” said Slaymaker.

The contest attracted applicants from Chattanooga and Atlanta and even one applicant from India.

Slaymaker said each company has been assigned mentors who will work with them on strategy, finance and other aspects of their business until the day of the pitch, Tuesday, May 15.

“On the day of the pitch, they all will have the opportunity to give their pitch to the judges,” he said. “It will be open to the public, but that won’t be the main event. We’ll trim them at that point to probably four. Then they will make their main pitch that night.”

The pitch will be at Stage 123 on West Gordon Street.

“We will have an event that evening to bring the community together. I don’t want to call it a party, but it will be a celebration of what these companies have put forth. Plans call for Gordon Street to be closed off,” Slaymaker said.

Other organizers of the Dalton Innovation Accelerator and Pitch DIA include Advanced Insurance Strategies, Believe Greater Dalton, Dalton State College, the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce, Inventure, Luna Design, the Minor Firm and the Morehouse Group.