Watch the Seattle Semi-Finalists in Action

Posted: by admin on August 30th, 2010 | No Comments »

Categorized: Pitch Slams, Seattle

Congratulations to the eight startups that were named as semi-finalists at the August 17th Innovate!2010 Pitch Slam we held in Seattle at pii2010: 

  • Bynamite -  Gives users a way to control the information that advertisers have about them.
  • IdeaScale -  Enables organizations to increase engagement and get focused, effective feedback by crowdsourcing ideas.
  • InternMatch - Connects prospective interns with organizations offering internship opportunities.
  • Optify - Helps business marketers generate leads through organic search and social media, and measure results.
  • Pathable - Offers private, branded on-line communities to conferences and events that plug directly into a meeting’s existing registration and web service.
  • Tweetajob - Allows companies to tweet jobs to jobseekers based on location and job category.
  • Unvarnished  - Helps users build, manage, and research professional reputation via community-contributed professional reviews.
  • Yoursphere - Offers children and young people through age 18 a unique kids-only online community experience that is rewards-based, content appropriate and age-relevant.

Each CEO gave a five-minute presentation to the audience and our panel of judges, which included Brady Forrest, David Geller, Rebecca Lovell, Fran Maier, Rob Monster, Chris Pirillo and Sam Rosenbalm. The judges evaluated each pitch using Guidewire Group’s G/Score methodology, selecting Seattle-based Optify as the Pitch Slam winner and guaranteeing it a spot on the Innovate!100 list. The Audience Choice vote went to the Quick Pitch winner, InternMatch.

Check out videos of each of the semi-finalists below:

 

Optify Pitches at Seattle Pitch Slam from Guidewire Group on Vimeo.

 

Bynamite pitching at Innovate 100 Seattle Pitch Slam from Guidewire Group on Vimeo.

IdeaScale Pitching at Seattle Pitch Slam from Guidewire Group on Vimeo.

InternMatch Pitching at Seattle Pitch Slam from Guidewire Group on Vimeo.

Pathable pitching at Seattle Pitch Slam from Guidewire Group on Vimeo.

Tweetajob pitching at Seattle Pitch Slam from Guidewire Group on Vimeo.

Unvarnished pitching at Seattle Pitch Slam from Guidewire Group on Vimeo.

YourSphere Pitching at Seattle Pitch Slam from Guidewire Group on Vimeo.

Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In Seattle, Six Startups Make Their Mark in One Minute

Posted: by admin on August 30th, 2010 | No Comments »

Categorized: Pitch Slams, Quick Pitch, Seattle

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Innovate!2010 Pitch Slam we hosted at the pii2010 – privacy identity innovation conference in Seattle on August 17th. The Seattle event featured pitches from 13 startups, including six companies that participated in our first Quick Pitch competition.

Among the highlights, Quick Pitch competitor 123 Corporation officially launched its company, with chief marketing officer Howard Fried introducing the Silicon Valley startup’s Secret 1-2-3 email encryption service. InternMatch, a Seattle-based Quick Pitch company that went on to win the final spot in the Pitch Slam, surprised everyone when an “actual InternMatch intern” named Alex Lassiter delivered an impressive pitch on behalf of the company’s founder. It was a clever way to demonstrate the company’s service, which helps connect businesses with qualified interns, and InternMatch was later voted as the Audience Choice winner after CEO Andrew Maguire gave his own presentation. 

Other startups that braved the timer with a 1-minute Quick Pitch included:

  •  aNEWSme – A plug-and-play service that allows news publishers to personalize content and news on their sites.
  • Open Mobile Solutions  – Self-service automated marketplace that allows you to be matched with qualified companies that will help you take your mobile apps to market
  • Puzzazz – An online puzzle and game company
  • Wishpot – Helps retailers to merchandise their product in social networks

While there was only room for one company (InternMatch) to advance to the Pitch Slam round, all of the entrepreneurs in the Quick Pitch round did an amazing job — congratulations to them all!

To see them in action, check out the video below and look for more Quick Pitch presentations at our upcoming Innovate!2010 Pitch Slam events scheduled for Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, Austin, New York and Boston.

Seattle Pitch Slam Quick Pitch Competition from Guidewire Group on Vimeo.

Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Sign up for Innovate!2010′s Seattle Pitch Slam at pii2010

Posted: by admin on August 2nd, 2010 | No Comments »

Categorized: Local, Pitch Slams, Seattle

Hot on the heels of our Missouri Pitch Slam, we’ll be heading to the Pacific Northwest for another Innovate!2010 Pitch Slam the evening of August 17th in downtown Seattle. Startups interested in presenting in Seattle have a few more days to submit a free application — the deadline is Monday, August 9th.

Part of the Seattle Geek Week festivities, the Seattle Pitch Slam is taking place during the pii2010 – privacy identity innovation conference at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center along the waterfront at Pier 66. The program will open with a cocktail reception from 4:30pm to 5:30pm, so make sure to arrive early enough to grab a drink before the pitches begin. 

Admission to the Pitch Slam is included when you register for pii2010 (Use discount code 4SLAM to save 20% on pii2010 tickets), or you can buy a standalone ticket to the cocktail reception and Pitch Slam for only $40. It’s one of the best times of year to be in Seattle  and we’re looking forward to a fun evening of networking in the Emerald City during Seattle Geek Week as part of our search for the most promising startups of 2010!

Visit the Seattle Pitch Slam page for more info, and follow us on Twitter at @Innovate100.com.

Questions? Contact us at innovate(at)guidewiregroup(dot)com.

Tagged: , , ,

Join us at the University of Missouri on August 16th

Posted: by admin on July 29th, 2010 | No Comments »

Categorized: Partners, Pitch Slams

We’re partnering with the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri to host an Innovate!2010 Pitch Slam in Columbia, Missouri on August 16th that will include several special guest speakers — and you’re invited to join us.

Startups interested in pitching at the event are encouraged to apply here for a chance to present, and anyone who wants to attend to network and watch the semi-finalists present can register here. There are no fees to apply, or to attend the event. Seating is first-come, first-served. So, sign up for tickets soon!

Date: Monday, August 16, 2010
Time: 12:00pm to 7:00pm
Location: Fred W. Smith Forum, Room 200 at the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute, University of Missouri, Columbia

The morning will begin with a private workshop for students (sorry, this one is invite-only) where aspiring entrepreneurs will practice honing their pitches. Students will not only learn how to improve their pitching skills, the best of the best will be added to the line-up to compete with the Innovate!2010 semi-finalists at the Pitch Slam later in the day. The top student team will also win a trip to one of our upcoming Pitch Slams in California or New York.

At 12:00pm, Dr. Kafryn Lieder will lead a session on Grant Writing for the Technology Startup that is open to all participants, and we’ll kick off the Pitch Slam at 1:30pm. There will also be a presentation by PerBlue CEO Justin Beck, who will be one of the Judges for the event, and the program will wrap up with a networking reception and talk with entreprenuer Al Chang.

It’s a wonderful opportunity to spend time with some of the talented entrepreneurs in the Midwest, and we look forward to seeing you there.

Questions? Contact us at innovate(at)guidewiregroup(dot)com. You can also follow us on Twitter at @Innovate100.

Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Videos from SemTech Pitch Slam

Posted: by admin on July 17th, 2010 | No Comments »

Categorized: Pitch Slams, Videos

Below are videos of some of the semi-finalists that participated in the Innovate!2010 Pitch Slam we co-hosted at the SemTech conference on June 24th. For more videos from other Pitch Slams, check out Guidewire Group’s channel Vimeo.

Hypios  (Winner of the SemTech Pitch Slam) - 

Hypios Pitching at San Francisco Pitch Slam from Guidewire Group on Vimeo.

 

SmartLogic -

SmartLogic pitching at SF pitch slam from Guidewire Group on Vimeo.

 

Gnowsis –

Gnowsis Pitch at San Francisco Pitch Slam from Guidewire Group on Vimeo.

playence -

playence pitching at SF Pitch Slam from Guidewire Group on Vimeo.

zAgile -

zAgile pitches at SF Pitch Slam from Guidewire Group on Vimeo.

Tip Top Technologies -

Tip Top Technologies pitches at SF Pitch Slam from Guidewire Group on Vimeo.

Semantifi -

Semantifi pitches at SF Pitch Slam from Guidewire Group on Vimeo.

Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Recap of the SemTech Pitch Slam

Posted: by admin on June 29th, 2010 | No Comments »

Categorized: Bay Area, Judges, Pitch Slams, Program Updates

During last week’s Innovate!2010 Pitch Slam at SemTech, which was co-hosted by Guidewire Group and Semantic Universe, seven startups chosen as semi-finalists had the opportunity to deliver a five-minute pitch to a panel of judges and an audience of interested conference attendees. View photos from the Pitch Slam.

The panel of experts included Dave McComb, president of Semantic Arts; Brian Cook from nFuse Partners; Michael Winton, director of developer relations at Google; Madeline Duva, president of 3rd Eye Consulting; and Mark Sugarman from MHS Capital.

In addition to Hypios’ first-place finish, Smartlogic and Gnowsis were named first and second runners-up, respectively.

Smartlogic’s Semaphore product aims to enhance and give context to search navigation, particularly through the use of ontologies and taxonomies. For example, media companies use Semaphore technology to improve quality of information feeds, and boost readership and distribution, and investment banks use it to consolidate information costs and better promote primary research.

Gnowsis’ product, Cluug, is designed as a solution to help people remember. Prototyped in Microsoft Outlook, the service is embedded into existing software systems and connects all of your valuable info together, including contacts, files and websites. “If you lose an important document and don’t bring it to your meeting, estimations are this costs around $150,” said Leo Sauermann, founder and CEO. “People spend a lot of their valuable work time looking for information.”

The other Semi-finalists that are still in the running for a spot on the Innovate!100 list include Semantifi, Tip Top Technologies, playence and zAgile.  All of the companies did a phenomenal job and we’d like to thank the judges, startups, sponsors and attendees who all helped make the event a success.

If you’d like to attend an upcoming event, the next two Innovate!2010 Pitch Slams will be held on August 16 in Columbia, MO and August 17 in Seattle, WA.  Applications are now being accepted from interested startups, and there’s no fee to apply.

Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Hypios named winner of Pitch Slam at SemTech

Posted: by admin on June 28th, 2010 | No Comments »

Categorized: Bay Area, Pitch Slams, Program Updates

How can a cereal manufacturer trying to improve the chocolatey taste of one of its products get advice on making a more delicious cereal?

Thanks to a startup named Hypios, that company can ask a network of informative sources around the world, from icemakers in Monaco to chocolatiers in California.

It’s that innovative approach to using global resources to solve research and development problems that helped Hypios win the Innovate!2010 Pitch Slam held at the Semantic Technology (SemTech) conference last week.

Hypios, branded as a “global eBay of problem solving” by its president Anthony DeFilippo, is a marketplace designed to address the challenges companies face as they create new products and services. Once a company submits a specific R&D need, Hypios reaches out to its network of more than 150,000 professionals, targeting those whose expertise is relevant to help with the problem at hand.

It’s not just about cereal flavors though. Hypios’ marketplace has successfully fielded questions about everything from renewable energy to general relativity. Guidewire Group co-founder Mike Sigal, who emceed the event, explained that the judges “loved the concept overall [and] felt it could be disruptive.”

As the winner of the Innovate!2010 Pitch Slam at SemTech, Hypios guarantees itself a spot on Guidewire Group’s Innovate!100 list of 100 up-and-coming tech startups.

To learn more, visit Hypios’ website.

Tagged: , , , ,

Meet the Judges: Pitch Slam at SemTech 2010

Posted: by admin on June 21st, 2010 | No Comments »

Categorized: Judges, Pitch Slams

At each Innovate!2010 Pitch Slam, a panel of experts from the investment and entrepreneurial community will serve as Judges. They will evaluate the semi-finalists’ pitches using Guidewire Group’s proprietary G/Score assessment methodology, and those results will be used to determine who wins each Pitch Slam and, ultimately, which startups are named to the final Innovate!100 list later this year.

Get to know more about the Judges who are participating in the Innovate!2010 Pitch Slam in San Francisco this Thursday, June 24th during the Semantic Technology 2010 conference (click here for details on how you can join us).:

Brian Crook, Principal, nfuse Partners
Brian is a seasoned entrepreneur and business professional who has over 17 years experience in both technology and online media sectors spanning advertising & content publishing, bio-medical sciences, and enterprise software.

He began his career as one of the pioneers in the online advertising industry, developing scalable ad-serving, data processing and analytic architectures for aQuantive (now Microsoft Advertising). He also led the development of the online display and keyword advertising technology used by core Disney Web properties such as ESPN.com, ABCNews.com and Disney on-line.

In 2003, Brian joined Vulcan Inc., Paul Allen’s private asset management company, where he was responsible for the development of life sciences, home media and scalable data processing initiatives. Beginning in 2006, he served as vice president of engineering for Network Inference/Cerebra, an enterprise software company funded by BlueRun (formally Nokia Ventures) and Palomar Ventures, where he was responsible for product development of the company’s semantic metadata and data management solutions.

Subsequently, Brian became vice president of product development at webMethods Inc/SoftwareAG, where he led strategy and development of the webMethod’s Metadata Library, a component of the Business Process line. In 2008, Brian co-founded Cerebra Technology, an Intel Capital funded company, which provides intelligent content and merchandising solutions for media publishers and eCommerce sites.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from California State University, Hayward, and a bachelor’s degree in experimental psychology from the University of California, San Diego. He presently serves on the Emerging Web/Web 3.0 Steering Committee of the San Diego Software Industry Council.

Madeline Duva, President, 3rd Eye Consulting
Madeline, an embedded software entrepreneur with over 20 years experience, has been instrumental in developing and executing strategic initiatives throughout her career. After years at Fidelity Investments, she moved to Silicon Valley where she has held senior managerial posts at Communication Intelligence Corp., PenOp, Dejima and Revere Data.

Before starting her own consulting firm advising and investing in startups, she was CEO of China MobileSoft (CMS), which developed a complete Linux platform for mobile phones. In 2005, CMS was successfully acquired by PalmSource, where she held the position of VP, Silicon and ODM Partners. PalmSource was acquired by ACCESS. Madeline is the chairman of PlantSense and is on the advisory board of Eye-Fi.

She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees with honors in LAS/Economics from Vanderbilt University.

Dave McComb, President, Semantic Arts
For the last 10 years, Dave McComb has been the president of Semantic Arts, a firm specializing in helping enterprises reduce complexity in their information systems while migrating to leading edge software architectures.

Dave has been successfully leading software development, planning, and review projects for over 25 years. He has worked with dozens of clients and dozens of technical environments, including those during his time with Andersen Consulting, that have led to a much broader understanding of what is needed to grow a productive environment.

He is Semantic Arts’ application and project management specialist. He is the author of Semantics in Business Systems, a frequent forum speaker and is co-producer and program chair for the Semantic Technology Conference.

Mark Sugarman, Founder and Managing Partner, MHS Capital
Mark is founder and managing partner of MHS Capital, a new $35M early-stage venture fund backed by an LP base of world class technology entrepreneurs and executives. MHS Capital focuses on leading the first institutional rounds for bootstrapped software and Internet companies raising $500K-$2.5M and sponsors serial entrepreneurs to do small tech buyouts.

He has invested in fifteen companies over the past twelve years with six exits, including two companies with market capitalizations of over a billion dollars, and seven active investments. Prior investments include Edusoft (acquired by Houghton Mifflin), Getsmart (acquired by Providian/IAC), Nutrisystem (NTRI), Savi Technology (acquired by Lockheed Martin), Verticalnet (VERT), and 1stup (acquired by CMGI).

Mark currently sits on the boards of Fonality, iLike, magnify360 and Positive Energy, and is an investor and board observer at Courttrax and Venturebeat. He has a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University.

Michael Winton, Director, Developer Relations, Google
Michael is a senior technical manager at Google with experience building and leading a global organization. Michael founded and leads Google’s global Developer Relations organization and Developer Support operations, which spans the U.S., APAC, and EMEA. He is responsible for driving the success of Google’s strategic developer products.

Tagged: , , , , ,

Join us in SF for the Innovate!2010 Pitch Slam at SemTech

Posted: by admin on June 18th, 2010 | No Comments »

Categorized: Partners, Pitch Slams, Program Updates

Thanks again to everyone who participated in our European Pitch Slam tour this Spring! After a successful series of 14 Innovate!2010 Pitch Slams that began in Zaragoza and ended in Tallinn, we’re busy getting ready to kick-off a North American Pitch Slam tour that will take the Innovate!2010 program to cities across the U.S. this summer and fall.** 

First up is a special partner event that we’re co-hosting with the Semantic Universe team during the 2010 Semantic Technology (SemTech) conference  in downtown San Francisco next week.

 The Innovate!2010 Pitch Slam at SemTech will take place from 3:30pm to 5:45pm on Thursday, June 24th in Golden Gate rooms 3 and 4 at the San Francisco Hilton in Union Square, and you’re invited to join us to watch the competition. Keep reading for details on how you can get a free ticket to attend the event, along with access to the SemTech exhibit hall and M&A panel!

At the Pitch Slam, eight startups chosen as semi-finalists will deliver their best five-minute pitch in front of the audience and our panel of expert judges that includes Dave McComb, president, Semantic Arts; Brian Cook, principal, nfuse Partners; and Michael Winton, director of developer relations, Google. The companies invited to present at the June 24th Pitch Slam are:

If you’re already registered to attend SemTech, your conference badge will automatically get you into the Innovate!2010 Pitch Slam to watch the competition. For everyone else, thanks to our co-hosts at SemTech, you can sign up here for an exclusive Guest Pass  that will allow you to attend all of the following on Thursday, June 24th for FREE:

This free pass is limited to the first 50 registrants, so sign up now to take advantage of this great opportunity to meet and mingle with the entrepreneurs, investors and executives who are gathering at SemTech next week. You can also ”upgrade” to purchase a full conference pass to enjoy the rest of SemTech, which is taking place June 21st through June 25th at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square.

We look forward to seeing you at the Pitch Slam in San Francisco on June 24th at 3:30pm!

**All of the participating startups from Europe and North America will be evaluated using Guidewire Group’s G/Score assessment methodology, and then the top 100 will be named to the Innovate!100 list of up-and-coming startups that we’ll be releasing later this year.

Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Now!Innovations Wins Tallinn Pitch Slam

Posted: by Jen Sunga on June 8th, 2010 | No Comments »

Categorized: Pitch Slams, Tallinn

On June 2nd, Guidewire Group and the Estonian Development Fund co-hosted an Innovate!2010 Pitch Slam in Tallin, Estonia where eight Innovate!100 semi-finalists from the local area pitched their startups. The judges selected Now!Innovations as winner of the Pitch Slam, making it the newest member of the Innovate!100 list of 100 up-and-coming technology startups.

Congratulations to all of the semi-finalists who participated — and thank you to the judges, sponsors, partners and attendees for their help in making the event a success.

Below are video highlights from the event:
Tallinn Pitch Slam Winner – Now!Innovations

Tallinn Pitch Slam Winner – Now!Innovations from Guidewire Group on Vimeo.

Other Innovate!100 semi-finalists from the Tallinn Pitch Slam include:
GrabCAD (Runner up)
Nutiteq (Runner up)
Carfi OÜ
Edicy
The Groups Project
OÜ Sportlyzer
TuningRoom

Along with the Pitch Slam winner Now!Innovations, the semi-finalists are eligible to win their share of over $1M in sponsored prizes through the Innovate!2010 Challenges program.

Innovate!2010 Pitch Slams judges include experienced executives, investors, select serial entrepreneurs, industry experts and analysts who have been trained on the G/Score Assessment methodology. The judges at the Tallinn Pitch Slam included:
• Kaushal Chokshi, Quickstart Global
• Heidi Kakko, Estonian Development Fund
• Andrei Korobeinik, Rate Solutions
• Allan Martinson, MTVP
• Margus Uudam, Ambient Sound Investments

Innovate!2010 partners with companies like Alacatel-Lucent, BestBuy, Cisco, Comcast, eBay, EMC, HP, HSBC, IBM, LG Electronics, Microsoft, O2 Litmus, PayPal, RIM, SAP, Oracle, Sony and Verizon and serves as a platform for these corporations to quickly identify and partner with high-potential startups.

Applications are being accepted now for the upcoming Pitch Slams North America (dates are TBA).

Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

« Older Entries