Part of the value pitching in a competition at South by Southwest is getting to speak to a room packed with potential investors and users. But winning, and the prizes that come with it, never hurts.
At the Hatch pitch competition Monday, five companies came away victorious, including a few big winners. Here they are, as well as the six other companies who pitched.
First place: Admetsys
Prize includes: first round interview at Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator; slots in two other accelerators; credits for services from Microsoft and Amazon; entrepreneur office hours
—Admetsys has developed a glucose control system for diabetic patients. It is an automated system, which the company calls an artificial pancreas, and is designed to reduce the amount of time patients spend in hospitals, says CEO Jeff Valk. The Boston-based company has completed three FDA-approved clinical trials, though it is still waiting for pivotal data because it does not have its final device yet, Valk says. It expects that device to be ready in September.
Second place: Astroprint
Prize includes: first round interview at Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator; credits for business services from Microsoft and Amazon; entrepreneur office hours
—Astroprint allows 3-D printer users to store their files in the cloud and send them to their printers via a simple interface on a phone, tablet, or computer—with no complicated software to install. The company expects the majority of its business to target the consumer market, though it has been approached by multiple 3-D printer lines, and would “follow the money” if the consumer market is slower that expected, CEO Drew Taylor says.
Third place: Plum
Prize includes: first round interview at Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator; credits for business services from Microsoft and Amazon; entrepreneur office hours
—Plum makes a software-enabled light switch—call it a smartswitch, if you will—that works like a touch screen on a smartphone. Swipe up with a single finger to turn a light on, use two fingers to control all lights in the room, and pinch to turn off all the lights in the house, says CEO Utz Baldwin. Austin, TX-based Plum has a free app that lets you also control the device remotely. The system costs $99 ($89 currently for preorders), Baldwin says.
Audience award and Prezi award: Procyrion
Prize includes: first round interview at Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator; lifetime access to Foundersuite; a wearable tech band that reads a person’s muscles to control the device
—Procyrion is a Houston medtech startup that develops a circulatory support pump that is thinner than a pencil and can be
