San Francisco doesn’t disappoint with four startups headed to Challenge Festival in DC
In San Francisco, the 16th and last city of the Challenge Cup tour, the startups lived up to expectations with a lineup of amazing pitches. The competition was so steep that the judges required triple the amount of time to decide who would advance to the final round in Washington, D.C. this May at the Challenge Festival.
It seems only fitting that in the city of startups, the cofounders were prepared and put on a great show. However, only four were able to advance. Meet them here:
Education
UClass – U
Class is a venture-backed, Common-Core-lesson marketplace that aims to disrupt the curriculum industry. On UClass, both teachers and textbook companies sell their vetted resources in bite-sized formats.
Energy
Enact Systems – enACT is a home-energy marketplace that allows you to plan money-saving projects, view live bids from local service providers and financiers in an area, schedule appointments with them and more. enACT partners with major utilities and is now available throughout major cities in California, soon to be expanded in other states.
Health
ReferralMD – referralMD is a web application that offers a comprehensive, business-management solution designed to track and monetize health care referrals.
How it works
Similar in structure to a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) program, referralMD manages healthcare referral network exchanges, economic and new business development efforts. It’s an application to specifically track referral sources, collaboration opportunities, follow-up activity and measure localized network growth.
Who is using us and how…
Specialists (hospitals, imaging centers, laboratories), dentists, primary care doctors and other healthcare professionals, utilize the tools for tracking and measuring their network referral activity, business development efforts and collaborative projects. Integrated reporting tools provide network-to-business development proof of conversion – valuable for new healthcare facilities and retention campaigns.
Smart Cities
HandUp – HandUp is a direct donation system for homeless people and others in need in a given neighborhood. With HandUp, users can donate to a specific person via their web profile or SMS, learn about their story and needs and hear updates on their progress.
Watch all 64 startup winners from across the Challenge Cup’s 16-city tour this May during the final weeklong Challenge Festival.
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By Morgan Gress | 2.28.14