At long last, here are the six companies that we have selected to pitch at SeedCon on November 15th. And let me tell you, it was a tough decision. We had 81 entries and only 6 slots to fill, so inevitably some awesome companies slipped through the cracks.
So, before we tell you who's pitching, here's a little background on how we made our decisions.
7 individual evaluators graded the entries on a scale of 0 to 5 (excellent) along four dimensions, which gave each entry an overall score out of 20. The dimensions were the following:
- Product-market fit
- Competitive advantage
- Feasibility
- Creativity and innovation
We then took the average of all the scores (equally-weighted) for each company and ranked them. The top 5 got a place in the fast-pitch competition. One final company was selected based on who got the most social “likes” and shares on their Built In Chicago blog post.
And now.... *drum roll*... in no particular order, here are the six awesome companies that will pitch at SeedCon 2011:
DigitalGroundUp is an interactive and experiential learning platform for digital marketing. Instead of reading the 250 page AdWords manual or watching videos on YouTube or Udemy, individuals on DigitalGroundUp learn by doing, getting their hands dirty with interactive exercises that simulate online advertising -- without having to gamble money on Google or Facebook. DigitalGroundUp will bring digital marketing to the masses -- allowing companies to take control and improve their own digital marketing efforts without having to hire an agency, consultant, or internal specialist.
Intelligent Loop is developing mobile enterprise software that helps managers of industrial facilities reduce the cost and complexity of managing their physical assets by connecting these assets to the internet, using a smartphone’s capability to scan barcodes, take photos, acquire GPS, support near field communications and push collected data to the cloud.
Me So Far is sometimes described as TED talks meets dating. Based on the insight that attraction is more gradual than instant, this live event and platform for singles uses a slideshow storytelling method to facilitate connections. This format uniquely merges depth and efficiency into the search for someone.
TheStylisted is the only dedicated network of freelance beauty and wellness professionals that allows clients to view detailed online portfolios from the network and book in-home appointments through the site. Our Philosophy: Beauty isn't pain...it's just inconvenient!
Infrared Solutions leverages recent advances in nanomaterials chemistry to provide an alternative to current infrared, thermal detection technologies, which could dramatically reduce the cost of detectors and cameras. This new technology will meet a great demand for more affordable devices and open thermal detection and imaging to new applications and markets.
Bet ME is a low cost online gambling site focusing on sports/financial and special interest (e.g. politics) betting. Unlike traditional bookmakers, who take a spread on each bet made, Bet ME intends to only take a 50 pence transaction fee on each bet made between punters.
There are still a few seats left for SeedCon -- purchase your tickets and check out these companies pitch for $100,000 worth of start-up friendly prizes.
About the SeedCon Fast-Pitch Competition
On November 15th and 16th, SeedCon will host its annual entrepreneurship fast-pitch competition, organized in partnership with Built in Chicago.
Chicago Booth faculty and EVC co-chairs will select the top 6 applicants to participate in a judged competition onstage on Thursday night, along with addresses by Matt Moog, CEO of Viewpoints, and Nick Kokonas, Co-founder of renowned restaurants Alinea, Next, and The Aviary. Winners will receive over $100,000 in startup-friendly services to kick-start their business.
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