Graduates of theClubhou.se’s Make Startups program were sent out in style. (theClubhou.se is how the organization spells its name.)

As a grand finale to their classroom education, multiple Augusta area startups got to pitch and crowdfund their new businesses Wednesday on the rooftop of the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center.

The cyber center hosted a wide variety of businesses from marketing and cybersecurity to event planning and vegan cooking for "Crowdfunding Demo Day." More than 40 guests ate, drank, and networked with the budding entrepreneurs to determine who would receive an investment.

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The crowdfunding was a big part of the afternoon fun. "Startup Funding Bucks" were printed with the face of theClubhou.se founder and CEO Eric Parker. They were valued at $5. Guests were given the first three on admission and paid for more if needed. Then they gave these "Startup Funding Bucks" to the businesses to be exchanged for actual investment funds of the same value.

While this may seem silly, the startups collectively received more than $1,600 in investments and came away from the initial 12 weeks of training having learned a lot.

Theo Knight of Shields and Ladders, which financially helps first responders in need, wholeheartedly endorsed it.

"I was like everybody else. I wanted to start a business and I thought, 'You get some money and you're ready to go.' They sit you down and teach you the business aspects," Knight said. "Not just the money portion, but also on the relationship portion, on the community you're dealing with, on the marketing skills, and everything else."

Sa'de Williams of Golden Lotus Properties, a network of home investors, explained how they helped turn her small ideas into big ones.

"We had to do market research," Williams said. "I realized what I'm trying to provide is needed, especially on the financial part. There's a lot of companies that just tell people, 'You need to fix this on your credit report.' But they don't tell them why you have to fix this. And then they are right back where they started."

From here, the startups will continue growing through six months of mentorship in the field.

This program is repeated three times a year. To learn more about it and other training theClubhou.se offers, go to theclubhou.se/entrepreneurship-classes.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Augusta startups pitch new businesses at Georgia Cyber Center