Sphero will make pitch to Branson

Firm one of three finalists at CES

Connected toys clicked with judges at the Extreme Tech Challenge on Friday, giving Boulder’s Sphero another win to its name.

The robot toy maker, which built the popular Star Wars BB- 8 toy, was one of three companies in the challenge to win the opportunity to pitch Sir Richard Branson on his private Necker Island next month.

The event, held at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, also named Bloom Technologies, a San Francisco firm with technology to help expectant mothers, and Giroptic, a French 3- D camera firm, as finalists of the year- long competition.

After the three finalists pitch to Branson, he will pick one as the winner.

Organizers said about 1,000 companies vied for a spot. Judges narrowed that to 25 last fall, which included Denver’s personal safety device maker Revolar and hobby site Hobby DB in Boulder.

Last month, the groupwas whittled to 10. Boulder’s Kick further, which touts an Uber- meets- finance format letting people make a profit by investing in a startups’ inventory, and Denver’s Mass Roots, which created a social network for the cannabis community, also presented Friday.

Sphero vaulted to global attention last year with its BB- 8 robot. At CES, it demonstrated the “Force Band” with which users can control the BB- 8 toy by waving their arm.