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Launch:Award Winners by Category
- Clean Tech: BioVantage
- Life Science: Breakthrough
- Mobile: Micello
- Next Generation Internet Group 1: tenCube
- Next Generation Internet Group 2: Truedomain
- Technology: Green Platform
The 5th annual Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneur’s (SVASE) Launch: Silicon Valley was held today on Microsoft’s Mountain View campus, drawing 29 promising startups in emerging technologies. With help from Microsoft and the iconic early stage VC fund Garage Technology Ventures, the Launch event offers a superb startup showcase and reveals the best of what Silicon Valley still has to offer.
The presenting startups were considerately chosen amidst hundreds of applicants from around the world, though a substantial number were home grown in the Bay. Vying for the chance to pitch their products to influential investors, potential clients and the media, there were sweaty palms as entrepreneurs took to the stage. An insightful morning keynote delivered by the venerable Naval Ravikant (most recently of Venturehacks acclaim) set the tone for the day, reminding the audience that restarting is just as integral to success as starting itself.
The day’s 6 sessions proceeded, which allowed for a brief 5-minute pitch of each startup followed by a 4-minute Q&A by a panel of esteemed Silicon Valley VCs. Acquainting prominent VCs and angels with a new startup in need of funding and publicity is a daunting task, even for serial entrepreneurs who have successfully brought products to market previously. The companies came with their best feet forward, ready to tackle the challenges that lie ahead.
Attending the event is akin to watching a parade of all-star players run out onto a football field. The who's who of Silicon Valley rapidly descend upon the sessions eager to scope out the next big thing. Sitting in on the sessions and conversing with the entrepreneurs and investors, it was clear that all of the startups showed tremendous promise. Several local web technology companies are worth noting for this column.
Linqto, based in Pebble Beach, is an interesting online collaborative application that has its roots at Stanford University. It provides businesses big and small with a cost effective means of utilizing web-based audio, video and text. A Facebook application added to its appeal and its potential advertising opportunities within video conference ‘rooms’ could prove quite lucrative.
Palo Alto’s appbackr (who readers of this column will recall) presents iTunes app developers with an opportunity to sell their apps to buyers. Their unique wholesale digital marketplace brings immediate money to the developer and creates a value-added marketing channel via buyers/investors. It also opens up exciting and unchartered territory for buyers to tap into the iTunes market.
Micello appropriately likens itself to the ‘Google Maps’ of the great indoors and goes where other mapping companies have been unable to go before. The Sunnyvale-based startup has over 1,000 indoor maps presently on its iPhone and Android apps. The company claims they can scale it to thousands more indoor locations within months using its unique business model of licensing to third parties. While that remains to be seen, their app is clearly a winner and was also a crowd favorite.
Six of the startups rose beyond the occasion and took home “Most Likely to Succeed” honors (as voted on by the VC panelists and attending audiences). Arguably, all of the startups presenting today showed an acute awareness of the evolution of their domains, filling voids that might otherwise have been overlooked altogether. Previous Launch: Silicon Valley finalists have secured over $300M in funding, and there’s little question that many of today’s startups will likewise find their funding matches from the event. Beyond that, many were able to capture the audience’s attention and show us a glimpse of what the future has in store.
Follow Bonnie on Twitter @BonnieBRandall
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