Katherine Olives
We're still glowing from the excitement of last night's Final Pitch. The caliber of startups in the Zahn Center's program this year was extraordinary, and those who pitched at the Final were best of the best. They've already received invitations to Techstars and have been encouraged to apply for Echoing Green Fellowships. Congratulations to all who presented last night. The audience was inspired by your vision for innovations that will make this world a better place.
I'm pleased to announce this year's Grand Prize winners:
Zahn Social Impact Prize Winner ($25,000)
VeriPAD €“ A technology for low and middle income countries that authenticates medications. VeriPAD will use their prize money to finish development of their app and begin piloting their technology with health centers and pharmacies in developing countries. They'll test their product in Kenya and Lebanon in the coming months.
Zahn Technology Prize Winner ($25,000)
Hybridia €“ A tool to reinvent the way laparoscopic surgery is performed. The Hybridia team has been working on this idea for four years as a part of their biomedical engineering classes. They'll use the $25,000 to miniaturize their prototype and start testing it in hospitals in New York City.
Standard Chartered Women+Tech4NYC Prize Winner ($25,000)
StreetLabs €“ A smarter technology for monitoring NYCs roads, allowing the Department of Transportation to make faster and more efficient repairs. StreetLabs has already established connections with NYC's DOT. They'll use their winnings to develop their prototype and test it in Upper Manhattan, as they become a future force in Silicon Alley.
Kaylie Connected Devices Prize Winner ($50,000)
Applied Motions €“ A wearable that use biofeedback to increase athletic performance while preventing injury. Applied Motions has already generated pre-sales of their sleek product and will use the $50,000 prize for manufacturing and testing.
The second place startups in each category will receive $5,000 each to develop their businesses. The second place winners are:
Zahn Social Impact – Rural Ignition €“ An affordable clean cookstove tackling the health, environmental and safety concerns faced by millions in developing nations.
Zahn Technology – Komb €“ An app and web-platform connecting clients with on-demand hairstylists.
Standard Chartered Women+Tech4NYC – Frip €“ An app that helps K-12 teachers find, plan, and organize curated school trips in NYC.
Kaylie Connected Hardware – Upwalk €“ A smart walker that encourages better posture, helping seniors avoid pain and discomfort.
Finally, we'd like to announce the Audience Choice Award winners from Monday's Demo Day. Every attendee at Demo Day voted for their favorite startup in each of the four categories. These are the startups that won over the crowd with their creativity and charisma, earning $1,000 awards:
Zahn Social Impact – HandyNYC
Zahn Technology – Hybridia
Standard Chartered Women+Tech4NYC – Frip
Kaylie Connected Hardware – Applied Motions
We'd like to thank everyone who participated in Demo Day and the Final Pitch, especially our fearless judges (we know our impressive startups made their job very difficult). Judges at the Final Pitch included Adetola Abiade, Gilda Barabino, Bert Brodsky, Elaine Chin, Joseph Jaffe, Howard Morgan, Angie Muller, Keno Sadler, Geri Stengel, Marilyn Wagner, Peter Zahn, and Ari Zoldan. We'd also like to extend a special thank you to our guest speakers last night, who not only encouraged each startup to give winning presentations, but inspired them to take ownership of their status as changemakers. Speakers last night included NYC's CTO Minerva Tantoco; CCNY President Lisa Staiano-Coico; our sponsors, Peter Zahn, President of the Moxie Foundation, and Julio Rojas, CEO of the Americas, Standard Chartered Bank; and last year's grand prize winner, Shawn Augustine, CEO of Build on the Go.
The four grand prize winners will receive an automatic spot in our Accelerator Program. This summer, they'll work full-time to delve deeper into aspects of their startups and meet specific milestones carved out for them. We'll share more about this program soon!
This summer we'll also expand our reach internationally through our participation in the International Innovators Initiative, which allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to locate, expand, or move their businesses to New York City. To learn more, check out http://www.in2.nyc/ccny/