ENDEVVR: Payback is a Pitch

July 25th, 2014 saw the culmination of 6 weeks of intensive training and experimentation for the young entrepreneurs in the Endevvr program, when they pitched their businesses at Opportunity Hub.  These young entrepreneurs consisted of high school juniors and seniors from all around the United States, India and China.  The curriculum for the students began by identifying compelling problems, designing business models for their companies, developing solutions and learning how to pitch their companies.  They had a very short time to accomplish these tasks and many members of the Atlanta startup community stepped up to mentor and provide guidance.  Organizations that included Atlanta Tech Village, ATDC, TIE, and The Ritz Group also provided advice and guidance to students.  I had the privilege of mentoring these exceptional young adults, and like everyone who met them I was impressed.  The spirit of the startup community is not just about your success, but how you can help others in the community move forward and succeed also.  Working with the talented students of the Endevvr program was very rewarding, however the real payback was seeing all their work come to fruition in their pitches.  The companies that were developed and pitched were:

Mentor Bear
Mentor Bear is a simple platform that connects high school students with college mentors. They focus individualized mentorships that enrich students academically, socially and personally.  They try to ease the process through which student goes about searching for a mentee or mentor.

Kiss
Kiss is a mobile application that allows users to spark their romantic relationships. This is done through their innovative algorithm, which allows the user to gauge their chances with a person they like without the other person finding out.  Kiss digitizes and simplifies starting new romantic relationships with friends and other people you know.

Globus
Small and medium size businesses aren’t able to advertise online and are losing money to competitors that can afford to pay for digital strategists and proper ad targeting. Globus is an easy to use platform that allows businesses to have ads created and properly targeted, making sure that they get customers and are able to compete in our digital world.

Pickup
Pickup allows users to leverage their social networks so that they waste less time going grocery shopping.  Their app enables shoppers, incentivized by tips and coupons, to pick up item for friends. Through Pickup, communities unite to make fewer shopping trips while fulfilling more shopping needs.

Linger
Linger is a mobile app that allows users to avoid long waits at restaurants by providing them with line information inputted by other users. While lingering in line, people can share line information that allows them to build up towards discounts and coupons.  For people who are on tight schedules and always looking to save time, Linger is the solution.

Cyber Financial
Cyber Financial is a business-consulting firm that uses millennial insights to tackle corporate business problems. Cyber Financial goes above and beyond our client’s expectations by offering last solutions that will help their businesses thrive.

Serenity
When you explore a new city or go out to dinner late at night, you want to be safe.  But there is no tool that not only preempts danger but also is also simple and usable. By utilizing police databases to create personalized heat map, Serenity is that tool that will give you peace of mind.

Plott
Discover the new way to connect with friends outside the Internet.  Plott is a planning tool that capitalizes on convenience and staying informed by allowing planners to create an event in less than a minute and invite their contacts and Facebook friends.  With their sleek and simple design Plott helps everyone spread the party.

After the pitches were completed the judges put their heads together and selected Globus, Kiss and Linger to receive admission into the CATAPULT incubator.  This was a tough decision because every one of these teams was a winner.  Many of the teams have users, a minimum viable product and they all had exceptional pitches. Will one of them be the next twitter or Facebook?  Only time will tell, but I can guarantee that some of the minds behind future technologies are in this group of young adults.

[Photo Credit: https://www.facebook.com/endevvr/photos/a.231448353688060.1073741828.213785105454385/328332440666317/?type=3&theater]