There is nothing more inspiring then listening to young start-ups pitch their company, product and passion. And this was clearer than ever at Technori’s Pitch Night in Chicago yesterday.
“Position yourself for happiness and success will follow,” said opening keynote speaker David Kalt.
David Kalt started the company OptionsExpress.com and overcame every obstacle to create a billion dollar business. And it didn’t hurt that when he sold it his investors earned 150 times their original investments.
But today his passion is vastly different—it’s vintage guitars. He bought the iconic Chicago Music Exchange and applied an online business model to the store that focuses on content and resulted in skyrocketing sales. What kind of content sells? The company’s YouTube video A Brief History of Rock N’ Roll has been viewed over 3 million times in just a few weeks and has paid off big time.
Following his invigorating presentation five start-ups hit the stage pitching each for five minutes on a variety of different businesses and ideas.
Rune17 develops Bluetooth low energy wireless sensors that measure movement, acceleration, and temperature on almost anything and communicates that data to your smartphone.
ReferBoost enables property managers to keep track of their property reviews with user-generated content all through facebook. Visitors can see where their friends lives and how they rated their apartments.
Scholastica is an academic journal publishing platform for the scholarly community. The app is designed to give publishing power back to scholars that eliminates the need for large publishing companies.
Swapidy, started by an 18-year-old entrepreneur, is an online trading company that allows the customers to list their items and negotiate deals on video games to cell phones.
Uncork’d is wine list software on the iPad for restaurants that creates an interactive menu experience for the customer.
These start-ups are filled with unrivaled enthusiasm with serious passion behind each product—I can’t wait to hear the success stories. Don’t miss the next Technori Pitch Night in August. It promises to be just as exciting.
David Kalt of the Chicago Music Exchange shares his start-up success story.