Boston become big name struck this week, as the Forbes below 30 Summit brought Michael Phelps, Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Alba, Richard Branson, and different big names to city. besides the normal speeches and panel discussions one would expect at a company conference, the summit also featured musical performances with the aid of nationally typical artists corresponding to Jason Derulo; a late-evening bar crawl (on a Monday, no less); a morning run along the Charles River led by using Phelps; and a day of volunteering at places across the metropolis.
We lead off this week's Boston tech roundup with the results of two startup pitch competitions that took location all over the Forbes summit, which blanketed a profitable presentation through a local enterprise. study on for details on that and other contemporary tech happenings within the area.
—Somerville, MA-primarily based Pillar technologies gained $425,000 on the Forbes summit's "change the realm" pitch competitors for for-profit ventures. Pillar uses sensors and software to display screen construction sites for probably damaging situations, corresponding to fire outbreaks and mould boom. the competition award comprises a $200,000 funding by using Sound Ventures, the undertaking capital company led through Kutcher and guy Oseary, and tough Draft Ventures, the typical Catalyst-backed fund that essentially invests in scholar founders. The rest of the award is $225,000 value of advertising through Forbes.
Opus 12 became the other winner and additionally obtained $425,000 in funding and free advertising. The Berkeley, CA-primarily based startup says its expertise turns carbon dioxide emissions into chemicals and fuels.
Runners-up Wyzerr and Slice Capital each and every bought $25,000 from rough Draft Ventures.
The summit additionally included a pitch competitors for nonprofits. Atlanta-based HonorCode took first place and will receive $50,000 in cash from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman family unit foundation and $375,000 in free promoting from Forbes, in keeping with an article on Forbes's site.
In other news:
—Ovuline, the Boston-based maker of apps focused on fertility, being pregnant, and parenting, stated it raised $10 million from investors and changed its name to Ovia health.
—HigherMe, a Boston-based mostly startup that suits job seekers with openings, recently closed a $1.5 million seed funding circular, BostInno stated. The startup went through Y Combinator's accelerator software in Silicon Valley closing yr.
—Navigation app Mapkin turned into acquired by way of MapQuest. The deal changed into apparently made quietly prior this 12 months, and become first suggested by way of the Boston Globe closing week. The Boston-area startup, an alum of the Techstars Boston accelerator software, created an app that uses crowdsourcing, GPS expertise, and precise-time site visitors tips to deliver drivers with customized, turn-by way of-flip voice instructions. The enterprise turned into co-headquartered and led with the aid of Nuance Communications veteran Marc Regan, who is now MapQuest's director of mobile products, in accordance with LinkedIn.
—Flare Capital partners these days invested in Boston-based healthtech startup Circulation, Flare's Michael Greeley noted in a blog post. Reached by way of electronic mail, Greeley declined to divulge how much his enterprise invested in Circulation. The younger business's utility helps manipulate non-emergency medical transportation for elderly, disabled, and low-income sufferers. Circulation lately introduced a partnership with Uber.
—Flybridge Capital companions well-known partner Jeff Bussgang is managing a brand new $2.5 million venture fund, The Graduate Syndicate, on the way to invest in early-stage corporations led through contemporary graduates of Harvard, BostInno said. (Bussgang is additionally a senior lecturer at Harvard business school.) Bussgang isn't leaving Flybridge, BostInno stated.
[Top image of Ashton Kutcher (right) and Guy Oseary taken by TechCrunch in 2013 and used under a Creative Commons license.]
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