Meet the Teams
With over 60 people pitching their ideas last night at Excelerate Labs, we have ended up with 13 awesome ideas. Check out what they up to, and make sure to follow us @swideasweek to stay up to date!
HashBanged
Companies post video challenges. Users submit video responses. Companies them announce winners and the resulting video is a viral marketing campaign.
FixmyPad
Links home owners to home maintenance contractors who bid to provide services to the home owners. Make the process of finding a contractor easier for the home owner.
HelloNGO
Connect students who do not have the means to travel with companis or institutions that need resources and expertise that the students offer. Providing noncash compensation to the students in return.
RescueRound
Collecting online dating singles who have experienced a bad date and rounding them together for a drink special and second date opportunity
BikeRecov
Mobile app to make reporting bicycle accidents easier and more effective. It’s a chip product that you embed in your bike which communicates with your mobile phone. Also helps recover a stolen bike.
Jamout.fm
Virtual jam sessions
EditHuddle
Crowdsourced blog editing tool that provides a comprehensive analytical dashboard that allows bloggers to asses the quality of their writing and make corrections.
Outloud.io
We provide a personalized audio news stream allowing users to select categories/interests and receive relevant and timely news from content all around the web.
Dressora
Virtual wardrobe that helps you match outfits and get recommendations from your friends.
Pascha
A mobile app that delivers information to users based on location and context. Your phone should know where you are, what info you need and should give you that information.
RedRadius
Help introverts become exroverts in social settings. Introducing a social gaming component to everyday interactions. People check in at an event, bump phones with others in the room, get points for bumping, then there is a leaderboard – if you’re more social, you get points talking to those that are less social and vice versa.
Motiv8ion
Online personal trainer that uses personal and social accountability structures to help people achieve their goals.
MergeNote
Collaborative notetaking platform that scribes to effectively record and store information in real-time.
Startup Weekend is here!!
Startup Weekend Ideas Week starts today with the doors opening at 5:30pm for registration and pizza at Excelerate Labs in downtown Chicago! We’re super excited to welcome all the participants, mentors, judges, and speakers for this weekend event. Some last minute tips as you’re heading your way here:
- Don’t forget to bring your laptop, laptop charger, phone charger, and anything else you think you need to make this weekend a success! We’ll have the food and drinks and snacks, and all the Internet you need.
-If you have an idea, come ready to pitch them in a concise format!
- Bring a good and friendly attitude; it’s going to be an awesome weekend!
See you all soon!
How to: Survive Startup Weekend Ideas Week
Most entrepreneurs are crazy. You have to be to believe in something enough to make it your (often life) mission. That’s a long time. Whoa, whoa, whoa. But hold on– Startup Weekend Ideas Week is launching startups in 54 hours. That’s a lot of reality show waiting to happen. Unfortunately we don’t have Snooki as a guest speaker, but we have some tips of how to make the best out of your experience.
1) Don’t be too attached to the idea you arrive with.
Your idea sucks. Google it. It does. Your idea is not what is important. It’s where it ends up that matters. The number of pitches will probably change during the course of the weekend, so it’s best to keep an open mind.
2) Come with more than one idea.
Everyone is going to steal your idea. Just kidding. The best part about one idea, is when another idea attaches to it that isn’t fully formed. Don’t be afraid to pitch something that might sound dumb, because truth is good ideas usually come from crazy places (see point 1).
3) Expect to collaborate and work on a team.
Didn’t every elementary school have a sign that said, “There is no ‘I’ in team?”. Moot point.
4) Maintain good humor and personal hygiene.
Nice people are always easier to work with than not nice people. Find the person closest to you that reminds you of a character from Parks and Recreation, and you are likely to be a little calmer yourself. It’s stressful doing everything in 54 hours, and make sure that you bring some Axe to keep you company. Seriously.
Tomorrow is the launch of Startup Weekend Ideas Week and we couldn’t be more excited to host at Excelerate Labs. Enjoy the sleep while you still can!
Q&A with Brian Wong
Explain your venture kiip.
Kiip is a rewards network that allows you to play any mobile game and win rewards. We leverage advertisers on achievement moments and give brands opportunity to reward consumers in those particular moments.
How does the “moments” model kiip supports differ from traditional advertising?
The moments model leverages new factor of time into advertising; it is the theory of allocating a piece of the screen depending on moment in time in which you are seeing it (as a consumer). This is our hypothesis we decided to test out with kiip.
What was your inspiration? How did you secure the rest of your founding team?
I had gotten laid off from job at digg and was playing a lot of mobile games and realized even though it’s a crowded space there was opportunity to leverage attention people spend on games. Impetus for me to really start was wanting to not be screwed over and I decided to change that by starting my own venture.
How did you meet your founding team?
I met the rest of my team through previous position at digg, including both cofounder and friends of cofounder.
How did you initially launch your venture? Do you recommend bootstrapping, lean startup, angel investment– what do you feel is most effective based on your experiences?
Combination of luck and people believe in our model. I championed a group of people in the first place, and people felt I was in ideal situation to act on it. Young, single and nothing to lose. Having the obsession and drive to do this allowed me to do it without abusing that opportunity. We have been very lucky. In August I met Adam D’Augelli for a coffee. Two days after I got a call to go in for partners meeting. I had no idea what it a partners meeting even was, and noticed it was a large group of people who had direct control over the fund. I did really well and magical things happened. Initial round was in September of last year. We continue to kick ass and what we have created was substantial but needed additional capital. We started pitching for our Series A round after that.
How did the Guinness partnership happen?
Guinness is now owned by Canadian company. They were UK based, Holland, and then they got bought by Pattison Group (umbrella corporation run by magnate Jim Pattison). The President, Glen Clark, was the premier of province in Canada. His son happened to play hockey was my older brother. He knew my family and ten years go by. I got covered on front page of providences newspaper, and forwards it off to Guinness headquarters and reached out to me in London. It’s pretty crazy. Pure serendipity.
How do you feel about immigration issues within the US?
I’m very excited about Startup America and Startup Visa. It’s one of those things that happened when I was doing my thing. I got out with a good deal and was fairly lucky but most aren’t that lucky.
What is the most difficult challenge you have faced as an entrepreneur thus far?
I don’t call them challenges I call them opportunities. Advertising industry and how traditional they are in media-buying. Chicago is a big culprit and we are setting out on a way of changing this model and the dynamic of how media can be bought in the first place. It forces people to think outside the box.
How has your age affected your venture whether positive or negative?
It has been an enabler for me more than anything. It’s a tall order to be expected to be innovative and I take it as a challenge to do what I need to do. We have been very lucky over the past year. The movie Social Network changed how we are viewed and it honestly a movement. We do it, and now there is a fear in a lot of industries that our generation of entrepreneurs is going to take them out. And we will succeed.
How do you define failure? And success?
I’m happy and feel I have made the most out of what I have. I try to be as productive as I can and enjoy life and those around me are happy. Seeing others around me as a result of doing well as a result of my influence is something that is success to me. It’s all relative and continuing to aim higher is the only way to not feel like a failure. Happy person but never satisfied.
What do you think is the most defining feature of an entrepreneur?
Psychopaths. The legal definition is a mental disorder…but I’m stating in a joking way. You have to be totally removed from your work and completely engulfed in it. Disconnected and engulfed in many other ways so you are most efficient. If I want to go and change something in such a ridiculous way using such intensity it will take much more than apathy to be effective. Most people are going to respect that or be afraid and you can’t care what other people think.
What are you most excited for coming to Startup Weekend Ideas Week? Who are you looking to connect with?
I have been involved with SW and love what they do and support them. I think it will eye-opening to see types of ideas coming out of Midwest and I don’t get a lot of chance to come to the Midwest since most of my business is on either of the coasts. It’s easy to think the center of technology universe is in Valley but there is growing group in Chicago.
One piece of advice for young Chicago entrepreneurs: ___________ (mad libs style).
Don’t give a flying ass where you are located. Make use of city you are in. Chicago is great hub for finance, CPG, and advertising companies and don’t forget that. A lot of our partners are there so in the meantime don’t forget about opportunities around you. And you can get to SF and NY in equal time. That’s pretty cool.
Startup Weekend Ideas Week Announces Speaker Brad Keywell
This has been a busy month for the likes of Brad Keywell. Mediabank announces a merger, Chicago Ideas Week is getting ready to launch, and Groupon continues to drive innovation into Chicago. Just a day in the life of an entrepreneur, and we are excited to announce Keywell will be joining as a featured speaker alongside Brian Wong and Troy Henikoff. Keywell is a legacy among Chicagoans and entrepreneurs everywhere, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity considering Chicago Ideas Week will be in the duration of our competition (and you should go….just Monday through Friday afternoon).
Haven’t you heard? Brad Keywell has ideas. No seriously. Take a look.
Our weekend aims to inspire individuals to take initiative to build something amazing ideas in 54 hours. What constitutes as amazing idea? Register now and tell us what your amazing ideas are @swideasweek.
Teams will be competing for the chance to win a $2,000 prize thanks to the special folks at Startup Weekend Ideas Week. The winning team will be announced at the conclusion of the weekend.
