A few small companies may have garnered some investor interest after presenting at the Piranha Pool at the Summer Conference of the Alliance of Merger & Acquisitions Advisors in Chicago.

The event, modeled after ABC’s Shark Tank, gave each presenter 20 minutes to make a case for capital to the judges. CJ Cloud, Maritime Capital Management Partners and Rail Forge presented to private equity judges Michael Pfeffer of Post Capital Partners, Jeff Kadlic of Evolution Capital Partners and Rob Drier of Bunker Hill Capital.

CJ Cloud is in the process of developing a cloud-based program that would allow detectives and police offers to access data on gun histories, criminal histories and terrorist information on mobile phones and tablets instead of through a dispatcher.

Maritime Capital Management Partners, a ship-owning company that also charters its own vessels, was looking for an investor for a subsidiary that would own a vessel, but the judges agreed they would all be more interest in investing in the parent company.

The third contestant, Rail Forge, is looking for capital so it can grow a business that sells GageLok screws for railways. The screws reportedly last longer than traditional railroad spikes and could help railway owners cut down maintenance costs. The judges felt it may be too early for them to invest in the company.

For more on the AM&AA Summer Conference, see “Lower Middle Market Dealmakers Flock to Chicago for AM&AA Summer Conference,” “Due Diligence: 7 Tips” and “ESOP Candidates Consider Strategic Buyers.”