10 RevTech/FinTech startups pitched. Charlotte’s Phyrefly & Verifreight nailed it.
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Yesterday, 10 startups pitched during the Queen City FinTech and RevTech Labs Class 4 Demo Day.
These startups were from all over the world — it was not required that the incubators be located in Charlotte. The event was held at the UNCC Center City campus and it felt like there were serious investors there, not wannabes.
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First, 3 quick observations:
(1) Our corporate community is finally leaning in to the startup space. Love this. Dan Roselli touched on this and I completely agree with him. Finding the right people inside of Charlotte’s Fortune 500 companies is insanely difficult, but it’s starting to become easier. When huge companies and startup companies figure out how to mesh with each other, it will be transformative for Charlotte.
(2) The index fund is a brilliant idea and attracting great startups. Basically, investors can spread out their investments to all 10 startups. Minimum investment of $10,000. Invest.
(3) Maybe I’m partial, but I thought the two Charlotte-based startups were the best: Phyrefly and Verifreight. I love Phyrefly because I literally want to use it right now – I have a baby and I work at a media startup, so I often dine/drink at wacky times and I want restaurants to give me discounts. I love Verifreight because they’re tackling a niche pain point in a sneaky-big, unsexy market.
Kaitlin from @phyreflyclt – great pitch. Charlotte startup. Cool to see @JJsRedHots as pilot client. pic.twitter.com/YVIAcSVKme
— Axios Charlotte (@charlotteagenda) May 20, 2015
10 startups that participated:
- Concept: Yield management and marketing platform akin to Hotwire for restaurants.
- Presenter: Kaitlin Krogh, Co-Founder & President
- Angel List
Traderion
Bucharest, Romania
- Concept: Talent management company that enables clients to identify the best talent and continue developing their skills.
- Presenter: Florin Grosu, Co-Founder & COO
- Angel List
VeriFreight
Charlotte, NC
- Concept: Simple software tools for the logistics industry to help motor carriers make more money in less time.
- Presenter: Greg Baker Founder & CEO
- Angel List
Collegester
Oakland, CA
- Concept: Solves “The Three Month Problem” for college students.
- Presenter: David Horlick Co-Founder & CPO
- Angel List
Cathedral Leasing
Knoxville, TN
- Concept: Streamlines the process for companies to apply to multiple equipment leasing firms to receive the best rates and terms.
- Presenter: Doug Speight, Founder & CEO
- Angel List
belTowr Financial
Portland, OR
- Concept: First alternative to small business’ traditional bank account that integrates eduction for the first time entrepreneur
- Presenter: Ryan Cave, Founder & CEO
- Angel List
Pacatio
Panama City, Panama
- Concept: Intelligent marketing platform that increases profits for retailers.
- Presenter: Caleb Lamb, Co-Founder & CEO
- Angel List
FlyInStyle
Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Concept: Helps airports, airlines, brands, and travel retailers develop and execute marketing strategies to understand and interact with the connected traveler.
- Presenter: Amanda Anthony, Founder & CEO
- Angel List
Vulletin
Santa Monica, CA
- Concept: Digital alternative to the traditional bulletin board.
- Presenter: Tim Drover, Founder & CEO
- Angel List
Dyme – Pay Yourself
San Francisco, CA
- Concept: Turns spenders into the savers through the power of text message.
- Presenter: Joseph Prather, Founder & CEO
- Angel List