Everyone relax; it was not a real monkey lurking around the presenters’ stage at demo day.
On Tuesday, 10 startups graduated from the Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA) in New York. A diverse array of themes were on display. Part of the class presented ideas for helping businesses understand and use data; other startups had a dash of foodie flavor.
Bookalokal, for example, is a platform that connects travelers with locals who want to host group meals. CEO and co-founder Evelyne White explained that it is a way for people to experience authentic, indigenous cuisines. “Nothing brings people together like food,” she said.
Hosts, who are verified by Bookalokal, list the date, city, and the planned meal to be served at their events. Folks who are interested in being guests then pay through the online platform for spots at the tables.
Another startup in the bunch catering to foodies was Farmivore. Co-founded by Greg Levitt, Farmivore is subscription service that delivers weekly produce to people who make smoothies and juices at home. Levitt was a co-founder of adtech company 33Across in New York. With the juicing trend spreading, he said Farmivore makes it easier for folks to gather the ingredients they need.
Aside from food, business-to-business startups had a conspicuous presence in this ERA class. CommonKey, for example, developed a software-as-a-service platform to securely manage access to Web services. Andrew Stroup, the company’s CEO and co-founder, says his startup offers companies ways to securely work with cloud-based services that older, legacy software does not.
The slideshow above offers a glimpse of each startup in the graduating class. No word if CommonKey’s monkey-costumed mascot, who roamed around the exhibit area, does any coding.
