TechCrunch is kicking off the summer with a meetup in my beautiful hometown, Seattle. In addition to the usual hoisting of glasses and something called “networking,” we’ll be hosting a good old fashioned pitch-off with some promising local companies.
In case you missed the memo, on June 22nd we’ll be at the Showbox SoDo along with hundreds of Seattle entrepreneurs, VCs, and tech enthusiasts. Come and join us! Register for the Seattle Meetup here.
As for the pitch-off, I have to say this is a particularly strong group of contenders, whittled down from a particularly large number of applicants. Good job, Seattle! Each of these ten companies will have 60 seconds to pitch to the audience and judges.
So, in alphabetical order:
Babyrific: This app lets parents quickly find, share, and schedule kid-friendly activities and locations nearby. The return of SoLoMo? (Disclosure: I know Babyrific’s creator since we’ve lived in the same neighborhood for a long time. But this inclusion isn’t shady.)
Backit: Crowdfunding is a great way to launch a product, but chances are it’s a little more complicated than most people think (looking at you, Coolest Cooler). Backit helps creators manage their crowdfunding campaigns: setting goals, communicating with backers, finding manufacturers, and so on.
Boundless: The long immigration process can be pretty confusing, especially to immigrants with different cultures and languages. Boundless aims to guide prospective citizens of our great country through the legal and procedural hoops that may otherwise have obstructed them.
FanWide: If you’re, say, a Niners fan in Seattle, it may be hard to watch a game at a place where people aren’t rooting for the Seahawks. You can use FanWide to locate others supporting your inferior team and get together, and bars can get in on the action too and host viewing parties.
Mayo: Think of Mayo like Pay It Forward, The App, except Haley Joel Osmont doesn’t get stabbed at the end (spoiler warning). It’s a hyper-local “help me out” app where you can request or provide small services like giving a car a jump or lending a phone charger.
NavigatorCRE: Commercial real estate may be big business, but tell me this: where’s the SaaS provider that centralizes all the data, intelligence, and existing program hooks so you can maximize your portfolio’s performance? Here. Here is that SaaS provider.
Off the Record: Get a speeding ticket for going 31 in a 30? Enter the data into Off the Record and it’ll hook you up with a lawyer who will take care of it without you having to go to court — if you don’t get it reduced, you don’t pay.
Oli Fitness: What kind of list would this be without some kind of computer vision or machine learning? Oli uses a mobile 3D camera to track your workout and prevent injury. Not a replacement for a personal trainer, but it may improve your form and avoid a strain.
Pillsy: Tracking medication intake is critical for millions, but is your grandma going to use a smartphone app to do it? Put the smarts into the pill bottle itself — that’s Pillsy’s approach, and it seems that some in healthcare are already intrigued.
Stemless: Get your legal, local weed delivered, and if you’re a provider, easily offer delivery service. This used to be done over text, but it’s all in the open now. O brave new world!
What’s at stake? First place gets a free table in Startup Alley at Disrupt San Francisco. Miami Meetup Winner RecordGram not only made it to Disrupt, but ended up winning Startup Battlefield! Second place receives 2 attendee tickets to Disrupt SF, and Audience Choice gets 1 free ticket.
Missed the deadline to apply to pitch? Don’t worry! We got your back. Startups that attend the meetup get a chance to be the WildCard company – selected from the audience to pitch on stage as a part of the competition. Register for the Seattle Meetup here.
Comment