Jamen Shively

At some business plan competitions, entrepreneurs simply win cash or recognition. But at the Northwest Entrepreneur Network's First Look Forum -- held Wednesday in downtown Seattle -- Findood Chief Executive Jamen Shively walked away with one year's worth of office space as well as furniture to decorate the new digs.

It was an unusual -- albeit valuable prize. And Shively who collected the top votes after a 10-minute pitch to a room of venture capitalists and angel investors was pleased.

"We are very excited," said Shively, whose two year old startup employs seven full-time and part-time workers. The new office space will be provided by WRF Capital, which is located in Seattle's Eastlake neighborhood.

Shively won over the crowd with an entertaining presentation, showcasing his company's new online marketplace to connect buyers and sellers of specialty foods.

At this point, Findood is focused on chocolate. And that, Shively said is proving to be a solid recession proof business.

"Chocolate is one of the very few categories -- period -- that in this economy is growing. Chocolate and liquor is growing," he said. The company now has about 500 specialty chocolate manufacturers listed on the site.

Over time, the company plans to expand into other areas -- the "sinful" food categories such as craft beer, wine and artisan cheeses. It also plans to add reviews and ratings for both buyers and sellers.

Jamen Shively at the First Look Forum

How does it work?

Findood allows makers of the specialty food products to showcase their offerings in an online marketplace, displaying attributes, nutritional information and allowing buyers to request a free sample. Until Findood, Shively said sellers of specialty food products have had to try to claw their way into retailers by hitting trade shows or participating in broker networks.

Both, Shively said, are inefficient ways for small food producers to sell products.

"The manufacturers love it because they are the really small artisan producers of really great products who don't have a way to get in front of the buyers who are already looking for them," said Shively, describing the service as the "Match.com of the food industry."

Twelve companies presented at the Fast Pitch Forum. The other presenters included:

Geedra -- photo sharing technologies for construction professionals.

HeatFlow Technologies -- Biotechnology technology for PCR diagnostic testing.

Dibspace -- Small business lead generation service.

DigitalScirocco -- Automated content marketplace for Web publishers.

Aurumis -- Online payment service for Web publishers.

Community Technology Group -- Collage and photo displays at coffee houses and other community gathering spots.

Glue -- Web content publishing system.

Greenbridge International -- Environmental training for manufacturers.

PodCurry -- iPhone app publishing system for media companies and publishers.

Re:Source Fitness -- Cardio fitness equipment maker.

Serra Media -- Web publishing tools to build online communities for news sites.