ZBoard has been crowned Best of Show in the Valley Entrepreneur Showcase at the Ninth Annual Central Valley Venture Forum.

ZBoard, the manufacturer, distributor and retailer of weight-sensing electric skateboards, was selected as the showcase winner by a panel of investor judges representing venture capital firms, banks and angel investors.

To ride a ZBoard, a person simply leans forward to go and leans back to stop. ZBoards have a top speed of 18 miles per hour and a range of 18 miles per charge. Launched via a 2012 kickstarter project, ZBoard has sold boards in all 50 states and in more than 40 countries.

“We at ZBoard are stoked to have won the Best of Show at this year’s Central Valley Venture Forum,” said Ben Forman, CEO of ZBoard. “We’ve built thousands of boards here in the Central Valley, and we can’t wait to build thousands more.”

The Central Valley Venture Forum, a partnership between the Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Fresno State and the Central Valley Fund, was held today at the Clovis Memorial District. The Forum is an opportunity for venture capitalists, investment bankers, angel investors, leading start-ups, valuation experts, corporate executives and community leaders to discuss economic and financial opportunities related to the Central Valley.

The keynote speakers were Réal Desrochers, head of private equity for CalPERS, and Congressman Jim Costa.

For more information, contact Jeff Macon at 559.347.3903 or jeffmacon@csufresno.edu, or Betsy Hays at 559.916.6844 or betsyahays@gmail.com.