It’s going to be an exciting week for startup businesses in
Memphis with the StartCo “Demo Day” this Thursday, August 21st (Orpheum
Theatre)This year there are 16 new and exciting companies in the graduating
class from 4 different accelerators.
Seed Hatchery – Information Technology Accelerator
Troopto-
Company that provides private crowdfunding for the workplace
Phase – Schedule multi-player games without the hassle
Pickle – Crowdsource any opinion in less than 2 minutes
Well Done – Full featured tablet POS for independently-owned restaurants ORB - High fashion backpacks designed to protect
Upstart – Women-Led Tech Accelerator
Play-Tag
– Smart Bluetooth dog tag and LED alert system
eDivv – A marketplace for trading excess beauty
products
Cabsolutely – One cab dispatch API to rule them all
Barter Sugar – Bartering platform for small
businesses to trade goods & services
Sparkgap – Logistics Technology Accelerator
Graph
Story – Graph database-as-a-service
Extra
Rail – Airbnb for the railroad industry
Logistadvise
– Platform that matches companies with supply-chain transportation
Sky High – Social Innovation
Accelerator
FuelFilm
– An accelerator for the film industry (non-profit)The
College Initiative – Prepares students for the application & college
experience (non-profit)
·
Care2Manage
– Simplifies organization & management for families caring for aged loved
ones.
CoreFire
Commandos – an interactive game & web-based portfolio to track the progress
of students
This is my second year as a mentor for Seed Hatchery/StartCo and
I must say this year is the most fun I’ve had so far as a mentor. This year’s Start Co. “Summer of Acceleration” got off to a quick start with a “speed dating” session
back in May when we (as mentors) got introduced to all 16 companies and
their founders and got a chance to hear their “elevator pitches.” All of which
took place in a few short minutes which was challenging! But admittedly,
it also forced all of us (as mentors) to listen carefully, focus on understanding
the business model quickly and determine the viability of the business and if
we could be of assistance.
The funny thing is the company I liked the most coming out
of the speed dating session (that I didn’t actually work with) was Play-Tag
which sells the smart Bluetooth dog tag and LED alert system. Why did they
catch my eye? Ok, I have to admit, I am a crazy dog person (my wife and I
have a 15 year black lab (Casey) and I'm keenly aware of the importance
that pet owners place on their dog’s security as well as having a
locator system in place in the event that they should they wander off.
But also, as a businessman who understands cash flow and profitability, I know
that revenues from pet products, services etc. have grown dramatically
through the years. In 2014, pet products now represent a multi-BILLION industry
with enormous opportunity to develop profitable niches. With such a unique
product in such a large industry, Play-Tag sure looks like a winner to me.

Casey stops by my office
Another company I did get a chance to spend some time recently
with is Barter Sugar and its founder Layla Tabatabaie. Layla is a native New
Yorker, very smart, loads of enthusiasm with a great concept. I really like her
idea of small businesses bartering for different items and services and
reducing some of the tedious, old fashioned methods we currently use for
acquisition. Ironically enough, "bartering" as a means of exchanging goods and
services has been around for hundreds, if not thousands, of years and has simply
brought into the technology age of the 21st century with Barter
Sugar and its platform. I see lots of opportunity developing key niche markets
for Barter Sugar in the future (college students, entrepreneurs etc.) and
with an initial low cost of overhead, it would not surprise me if Layla
and her company make Barter Sugar into a major StartCo success story in the future.