The Established Team had the privilege of working with the Consumer Technology Association Foundation (CTAF) during CES this year in producing their first ever Pitch Competition. It was a fun time on the Eureka Park Startup Stage where the audience participated in on-site voting and ultimately decided which two startups would win.
Sponsored by AARP Innovation Labs and emceed by the lively and hilarious (dad joke connoisseur - read our fav below) Daymond John — founder and CEO of the $6 billion global lifestyle brand FUBU, co-star of ABC’s Emmy Award-winning business show Shark Tank, and AARP Brand Ambassador — the purpose of the competition was to find the two startups whose technology best helps build connections and fight social isolation in those who are over 50 years of age, two of the biggest concerns facing that age group.
Eight founders pitched their solutions to the standing-room-only audience composed of 150+ CES attendees, including industry experts Denise Gibson, chair and co-founder of Ice Mobility and chair of CTA Foundation; Andy Miller, SVP of Innovation at AARP; and Allyson Plosko, Sector Manager of Health at Village Capital, who brought their unparalleled expertise to the competition.
It was StoryUp’s makers of Healium’s VR solution that uses biometrically controlled virtual and augmented reality travel for areas of confined stress and Waverly Labs’ earpiece that translates 15 languages and 42 dialects (and also offers music streaming and voice calls) that were selected by the audience as the two companies who’ll be invited to pitch at the AARP Innovation Labs 2019 Grand Pitch Competition.
Competing Startups:
Fishball - clip-on lens that turns one’s iPhone into a 360˚ photo and video camera
Glowbl - video conferencing solution that allows multiple types of content to be shared at once
GoSun - solar stove with fuel-free technology that is low-cost, portable, versatile and durable
House of Haptics - wearable bracelet that sends human touch over distances
Language Hero - smart language training app that enables people who speak different languages to quickly and efficiently communicate with each other via video chat
StoryUp makers of Healium - VR solution that uses biometrically controlled virtual and augmented reality travel for areas of confined stress
Tikaway - “Connected” glasses that provide hands-free video collaboration
Waverly Labs - earpiece that translates 15 languages and 42 dialects (and also offers music streaming and voice calls)
P.S. Our favorite Daymond John CES dad-joke was this: “What do you call a computer that sings? A Dell (get it, Adele)...hahaha
A little about Established
As the power behind Startup of the Year, Established has hosted hundreds of startup events and programs, seen thousands of pitches over the past decade, and worked with networks of mentors and tech influencers supporting founders on their startup journeys.
It’s always a great value to see the variety of brilliant startups around the world that can tackle major societal gaps and problems, such as these. Seeing how founders can take their products out of their box and reimagine them for another purpose is incredible.
To apply to Startup of the Year, just click here. SXSW fast-track opportunity deadline is 2/12.
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