Wilmington venture Next Glass emerged the winner at the N.C. Technology Association’s Startup Showcase on Friday, said Jim Roberts, executive director of University of North Carolina Wilmington's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Roberts attended the event, held in Durham.

Next Glass, a fledgling company working to create what company officials call “a Pandora for wine,” was one of eight North Carolina startups that gave a presentation about their mobile technology to a crowd that Roberts said consisted of about 550 technology executives.

Startup presentations were rated by judges based on the quality of the presentation and on the company's investment potential, said Alan Fitzpatrick, NCTA's Charlotte regional representative. He said that Next Glass excelled on both points.

"Their presentation was very engaging and people could relate to it," he said. "Many people there had been in that situation before, of needing to order wine and not knowing what they would like.

"The judges also felt that there was a large potential for return on investment. It would be a great funding opportunity."

Wilmington was represented by Next Glass as well as Social Pathway Solutions, which is designing applications that allow teachers to recommend online learning resources to students in a tailored and secure way.

The showcase also featured two companies from Durham, two from Raleigh, one from Charlotte and one from Asheville, according to information from NCTA.