So, before we tell you who's pitching, here's a little background on how we made our decisions.
Eight individual evaluators graded the entries on a scale of 0 (bad) to 5 (excellent) along three dimensions, which gave each entry an overall score out of 15. The dimensions were the following:
- Product-market fit
- Feasibility
- Creativity and innovation
And now.... *drum roll*... in no particular order, here are the seven awesome companies that will pitch at SeedCon 2011:
OkCopay
OkCopay is a medical comparison engine that removes the mystery of pricing for patients, while improving reimbursement rates for providers. It doesn't take many trips to the local hospital or doctor to realize that there are massive price variations for medical procedures. For example, the cash price for an Abdominal MRI in downtown Chicago can range from $325 to $2093, and an eyeglass exam can range from $44 to $300. Until now, there was never a resource to compare your options. OkCopay allows you to search for the procedure you need, compare local providers, and view their actual prices.
VenueForest
VenueForest is an online marketplace that makes it easy for event planners to discover and book the right venue space. This $42 Billion market is highly inefficient. Event planners spend hundreds of hours prospecting and playing phone tag. And venues have unused space that could be earning them additional revenue. VenueForest connects event planners with venues, making it easy to visually search, compare and book venues using key criteria (i.e. budget, location, venue size and type). Whether it’s a wedding dinner, social event or business meeting, you can find the right venue space with VenueForest.
SnuggleCloud
SnuggleCloud is a personal space for long distance couples. USAToday.com estimates that 70% of college graduates will be in a long distance relationship over 6 months. Right now, they use multiple ways to communicate and the whole experience is extremely jarring. We provide the best way to stay connected with your significant other by bringing all your communication to one place, tracking things like moods and calendars and providing fun activities. Snuggle Cloud is a winner of the Seattle Startup Weekend.
TalkChalk
TalkChalk is a platform that enables all stakeholders of the education process the ability communicate safely and effectively through Facebook, both during/after school. Teachers use our platform to increase student achievement and engagement to help manage their classroom and responsibilities. Students use TalkChalk because we subtly and seamlessly integrate education into the place they want to be: Facebook. Parents access transparency and oversight into their child’s progress and gradebook. Administrators finally have a safe and effective social media solution that can help reduce cyber bullying, measure overall performance (student by student). TalkChalk: Where the Classroom Lives Beyond the Bell.
HireBrite
HireBrite is a resource for top undergraduate and graduate students seeking internship and full-time opportunities at promising startups in cities with growing entrepreneurial communities. Students at participating schools create profiles by answering questions specifically designed to help startups assess students’ true interests and fit. Startups also create profiles that highlight attributes that students care about most, such as culture, perks, and management’s working style. HireBrite also provides on-campus programming (e.g., Startup 101 presentations) to raise awareness and interest in startup careers. HireBrite isn’t just a job board — it’s a much more intuitive way for students and startups to connect.
Webils
Webils is a low cost user-friendly Software-as-a-Service intellectual eLearning and webinar solution. This is the service allows deploying staff training, assessment, and other staff development activities including video conferences really easy. Software-as-a-Service allows user to access and operate the system from any part of the world in 2 minutes without installing and software. The system is so friendly that the company’s junior coach form HR department can start using it without reading manual. Webils has proved itself on Russia’s market by closing contracts with nation-wide pharmacy network and major energy corporation, who reported significant improvement in corporate learning results.
Stork Stack
Stork Stack is a subscription-based startup focused on the baby/toddler market (newborn to 36 months). Each month, members receive a Stack on their doorstep that contains products (new toys, outfits, books), and free samples of perishable products (baby food, diaper cream). The samples are included in the annual membership fee, and any products can be purchased (credit card is charged) or returned (no charge). Stacks are age-appropriate, and evolve with the child. Since all products are sourced from small businesses, Stork Stack provides an easy way for members to discover new products and for small businesses to expand their reach.
About the SeedCon Fast-Pitch Competition
On November 17th and 18th, SeedCon will host its first ever entrepreneurship fast-pitch competition, organized in partnership with Built in Chicago. It is open to anyone – just bring your team and your best ideas.
Chicago Booth faculty and EVC co-chairs will select the top 8 applicants to participate in a judged competition onstage on Thursday night, between addresses by Matt Moog, CEO of Viewpoints, and Steve Kaplan, Neubauer Family Distinguished Service Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance. Winners will receive over $50,000 $70,000 in startup-friendly services to kick-start their business.
For more information, visit www.seedcon.com or follow @seedcon on Twitter for updates!
