24 Startup Companies Showcase Their Innovations

Another first for digitl media conferences was the introduction of the Digital Startup Speaker Series at DWXPO.  The main stage, located in the middle of the stylized exhibit hall was an exciting area throughout the show as crowds gathered to see the “latest greatest” and what may become tomorrow’s leading digital product/tool/service provider.  Seated in posh love seats, couches and lazy boys, the audience sat back and watched as the 10-minute presentations unfolded an innovative portfolio of new offerings only recently getting off the ground.

The 10-minute open mic segments showcased a wide array of solutions constructed by startups. Most entrepreneurs aren’t seasoned public speakers; typically, early-stage presentations are conducted in a relatively intimate environment to potential clients and investors. But the DSSS stage at the back of the exhibit hall and the quality of the audience made this venue a distinctly productive platform for startups. The presenters were asked to focus on why their technology mattered to digital marketers, not just what they had built.

The audience was quite engaged both afternoons. After most of the presentations, presenters were being approached by audience members engaging in friendly, animated conversations ensuing on the exhibit floor. Many business cards were exchanged, tweets were sent and meetings set up from this event. While speaking with many of the startups in the last week, most have been introduced to viable new contacts including potential clients and/or investors, coworking outlets and services share opportunities. One founder booked two weeks of business meetings out of his one 10-minute presentation! Some are following up on potential funding options. Others got commitments from well-known local and national brands to use their services. 

The two-day montage of startups was led and coordinated by Jennifer GosseCMO of Tracky and John Hawkins, Director of Operations at 9Seeds (both of whom know the “startup world” in great detail!).  Three weeks prior to the show, a last-minute open invite for companies to participate was announced through the startup community social channels – met with overwhelming response.  A brief process allowed individual companies to apply for review and potential on-stage scheduling.  Since a large majority of the attendees at DWXPO are media buyers and executive-level decision-makers, this was a big opportunity for startups to show off their development, garner clients, attention and users.

2011 showcased 24 presentations and brought buyers and providers together.  New media often requires “forward thinking” and what better way to do it than to show off some of the newest technologies today in a forum yielding a win-win for new company founders and media buyers alike?  The following are the companies and products presented in 2011.  There’s much more to come next year as this attraction scales to new heights with more companies, more attendees and more excitement at Digital World Expo v201.2!

Proximity Team

For marketers looking to make an impact on audience within a short distance of their retail store or entertainment venue, Proximity Team offered a unique channel of promotion.  Using existing public WiFi networks owned by the merchant, Proximity Team offers the opportunity to re-message special offers to returning visitors.  www.proximityteam.com

Ticketometer

For those looking to guarantee attendance, Ticketometer presented a solution that customizes ticketing services based on interest.  Through special monitoring techniques, Ticketometer will gauge interest in your special event or venue BEFORE you book the show.  www.ticketometer.com

Tracky

Tracky presented a way to take the best parts of crowdsourcing, project management and social media in order to create a fusion of community feedback, task assignment and more.  Company projects go to the next level of efficiency and correspondence by using Tracky’s web-based tool, providing real-time updates, assignments and input from everyone involved – both public and private.  www.trac.ky

VideoReceptionist

With cost-saving measures eliminating old-school receptionist positions, Video Receptionist presented a way to conquer the void by providing an interactive tool for your company or building.  Visitors are met with a helpful and fun interface providing direction, messaging, notifications and more as soon as they enter the lobby.  www.videoreceptionis.com

Wedgies

A new survey tool specifically created for the social media space was introduced by Wedgies.  This interactive and intuitive survey model requires little time to setup and sources your social channels for instant feedback.  www.wedgi.es

TripDibs

If in need of a quick hotel deal mere days from an event or meeting, look no further.  TripDibs is a one stop solution for the potential frustration in booking a hotel at a few days notice.  With a “Dib” system you can obtain a placeholder for a room and lock in special rates for your travels in advance.  www.tripdibs.com

uStarPoker

The quickest way to learn from your mistakes is being able to see what you did wrong.  In the game of poker, uStarPoker allows for the user to record and replay audio and video from previous hands and see exactly what they and the opposing players did.  It is similar to what you would see on the televised WSOP (World Series of Poker).  A must to build a stellar poker game. www.ustarpoker.com

Ayloo

Attempting to reform the social media boom, Ayloo allows users to take full control of “who sees what.”  With the ability to create specific networks the user can connect to certain groups without other groups having accessibility.  Users can also connect with people that share similar interests without shouting it out to the world. www.ayloo.net

Rumgr

Selling your old stuff online can be a nightmare, but with rumgr, the process isn’t clouded with pricing, titles, tags, or descriptions.  Upload a photo and go from there.  Selling your stuff couldn’t be easier with this location based app. www.rumgr.com

Originate

Originate builds a new model where employees of specific projects can play a hands-on role in the investing of the company.  The risk/shared rewards allows for all involved to reap the benefits. www.originate.com

Insure Monkey

If simplicity in purchasing Health Care is on your agenda, take a look at Insure Monkey.  They offer a free service that allows the user to understand policies and purchase with confidence.  With up-to-date premiums and choice of preferred plans and coverage Insure Monkey is the perfect tool for any health care shopper. www.insuremonkey.com

Coupons for Humanity

If you are searching for a local deal, Coupons for Humanity is an ideal asset to find such deals.  They offer printable coupons that allow for up to 50% of retail prices.  Percentages of claimed deal profits are donated to city charities. www.couponsforhumanity.com

Vote Giant

With a simple thumbs up or thumbs down, take it upon yourself to say “yay” or “nay” to any subject under the sun.  www.votegiant.com

MeFundee

Instead of paying for direct attendance fees, companies can elect to pay sponsor gift vouchers to attend events.  The event receives the gift voucher versus having to go through a third party event planner and paying a substantial fee. www.mefundee.com

BloomWorlds

Android marketplace has yet to show a “family-friendly” app store and BloomWorlds presented their ability to create just such.  Not only is the store safe and secure, it allows for parents and children to search for family fun with a hands on approach on their android devices. www.bloomworlds.com

Stikki

Presented to the attendees was a new and innovative social tool to publish virtual notes to any location on Earth!  Stikki cool locations, landmarks, make sure your friends know about cool restaurants or bars, even post photos of your vacations pinpointed to the places you took the photos.  You as the user have the choice to make your stikkis public or private.  The user can also be notified if they are close to other stikkis in the area. www.stikki.me

9seeds

Focused on providing small to mid-sized companies with WordPress design and development, 9seeds presented with a gung-ho atmosphere with a mentality of “no project left behind.”  They are problem solvers for companies wanting to expand their web presence. www.9seeds.com

Influential Networks

Originally focusing on the Healthcare IT and Electronic Medical Record, Influential Networks is a group of influencers for specific niches.  They presented a future of expanding to other facets. www.influentialnetworks.com

Dropbear

Presenting their team of internet entrepreneurs, developers, designers and search marketing professionals, they are focused on creating a product from an idea.  Being a “full-service” startup development warehouse and incubator, the Dropbear team is confident they can produce results based on transparency, honesty, and trust.

Blvd Media Group

Maintaining relationships with advertisers and advertising aggregators are what Blvd Media Group does best.  Presenting their capabilities as an online advertising network, they develop enterprise technologies for specific media niches.  They ensure offers presented to publisher websites are top notch and of the best value.  www.blvd-media.com