Check out our 30-second video (created using Ideo’s new Spark Camera app!) above to get a brief look into what Demo Day is like for a member of the press.
StartX held their fall Demo Day tonight to present eight companies from their 11th class. Though Demo Day has been held at the AOL building in previous years, this time it was hosted at Box in a much larger, more comfortable space. This could be due in part to StartX’s upcoming move to a new location several blocks from Stanford University in mid-March. CEO Cameron Teitelman said he looks forward to hosting several, new events that will be open to the Stanford community.
From StartX’s first non-profit organization to an app that can create a 3D replica of your house, it’s safe to say tonight had some of the most intriguing and diverse companies since The Dish Daily began attending Demo Day. Here are the top three that caught our eye tonight:
1. Everybody Dance Now is a non-profit organization focused on using dance to “help undeserved youth develop self-esteem and establish healthy lifestyles.” Founder Jackie Rotman started it in 2005 when she was 14. Read our Q&A with her to find out exactly what compelled her to start it and how they became involved with StartX.
2. Apportable, a startup that’s been receiving quite a bit of love in the media lately, “makes Objective-C apps run on Android natively.” Not sure what that means? I didn’t either until they put it in simpler terms for me: Apportable makes iOS apps run on Android. Read our Q&A with the co-founder to get more insight to how they work and their vision for the future.
3. InsideMaps’ mindblowing technology creates a 3D replica of your home merely by scanning it with your smartphone! According to co-founder and CTO Jorgen Birkler, the most similar alternative to their product is a piece of hardware that costs around $5,000. “Our ultimate vision,” he said, “is whenever you think about your home, you think about InsideMaps. Whether it be your furniture or turning on your lights, whether you’re ordering services like cleaning or getting a plumber, you think InsideMaps. Because that’s your home on the web.”
The other companies that presented include the optical zoom focused DynaOptics, data-driven therapy startup Nightingale (find our Q&A with them here), on demand medical device support from Nurep, the used auto parts online marketplace PartMyRide (find out more from our Q&A), and Travelnuts, the “virtual concierge” for hotel websites.
A non-profit that runs an accelerator for Stanford-affiliated entrepreneurs, StartX was founded in the summer of 2009 and launched a year later. Since then, they have backed 157 startups with a total of 12 acquisitions (the most recent being Aviate by Yahoo for a reported $80 million). The program holds three sessions yearly and takes zero equity. Companies accepted come from a range of industries: cleantech, consumer internet, gaming, enterprise, etc. In May 2012, StartX Med, a spinoff solely for medical and biotechnical entrepreneurs, launched with much success.
This post was originally published on thedishdaily.com before it was acquired by The Stanford Daily in summer 2014.