Breakdown— 20 startups from all over Silicon Beach competed to be crowned winner of the SB Fest. A panel of six judges looked at a variety of factors to anoint a winner, including their pitch, business model, and how well companies demonstrated their value proposition.
The grand prize package included $5,000, an all-expense-paid roundtrip to London, a membership to CTRL Collective, and 10 hours of complementary legal advice.
Who Was There?— There were all types of companies competing at the event, but only six made it to the finals. Those companies were Heartbeat (a social media ambassador platform); Heal (an innovative healthcare on-demand service); Weedmaps (a platform that connects marijuana users with the right strains and dispensaries); Kitterly (a craft supply marketplace); Markett (a platform that allows anyone to make money marketing brands); and Vampr (a music-based social network).
So Who Won?— Kitterly won the competition, a result that became evident the further the final showcase went on. Many of the judges openly expressed praise for CEO and cofounder Mari Bower, who impressed with many tidbits about her company, including the fact that her social media posts spread virally and Kitterly’s product return rate is practically nil.
Other Highlights—
• Markett founder and CEO Franky Bernstein was outright told by a judge that he wouldn’t win during his final presentation. Ouch.
• Vampr cofounder Josh Simons struck a licensing deal with a panel judge during his final presentation. It was a scene that was eerily reminiscent of something that shark Kevin O’Leary would propose on Shark Tank.
• One judge said that he liked what Weedmaps offered as a company, which prompted laughter from the crowd.
SB Magazine and Startups— Silicon Beach Magazine spoke with a few of the companies competing for the grand prize, including Foodies.ai and ELM.
Kitterly wins the grand prize including $5K cash via Media Temple, Surf Air flight, 2 Air New Zealand flights on LAX (London route), 10 hours transactional legal services from Sheppard Mullin, and 3 months open coworking space at CTRL Collective's Playa Vista or new Downtown Location.
Second place went to Markett, an on demand marketing startup currently at Amplify accelerator in Venice. Other startups in the Final Six included Heal (doctor on demand), Heartbeat (women millennial marketing), Vampr (music networking), and Canny (cannabis directory).
Heal - Neal Aubin, Kitterly - Mari Bower, Vampr - Josh Simons, Heartbeat -Kate Aveline Edwards, Markett - Franky Bernstein
Silicon Beach Magazine/September 16, 2016
By Daniel Steingold