OtherPortland Startup Weekend Continues Tradition of Innovation
Running app wins this spring’s top prize
After a 54-hour marathon of startup activity, who better than a company focused on helping avid runners find running partners as the winner of the Spring 2013 Portland Startup Weekend? The winning company Livefly.co is like “Match.com for runners,” says its founder, a former college athlete.
More than 40 entrepreneurs kicked off the Spring 2013 Portland Startup Weekend at the Portland State Business Accelerator Friday night with fast pitches and by Sunday night a smaller group of finalists presented their ideas. Portland Seed Fund alum and AppThwack Co-founder Trent Peterson gave the Sunday night keynote, telling the crowd of entrepreneurs that starting a company is the most exhilarating thing anyone can ever do but to be prepared to throw away your original plan and adapt.
This spring’s Startup Weekend also included two organizers in training who are planning a new Startup Weekend event in the fall with a focus on “accessibility” – startup innovations for the seeing and hearing impaired.
With Livfly.co taking top honors at the spring event, runners up included Freezepup, healthy frozen treats for dogs and their owners sold from carts at popular dog-walking locations; and Wijly, a way to connect all of your hardware devices over the Internet with a few lines of simple code.
Other companies and ideas that gave final presentations were:
Downtheline.me – crowdsourced feedback on how to meet your future goals
DreamPath – a solution that helps job-seekers network their way to a new job using personal connections
Fixer Flow – a web-based service to notify car owners about upcoming maintenance recommendations
GiveDaka – a social platform for pooling money for group gifts for friends
Neighborfood – a way to connect cooks with neighbors who don’t like to cook but love to eat
ScoutAbout – a travel website with advice and tips from local experts about a perfect day in their city
SpotSwap – mobile app that helps you get a table at a crowded bar or restaurant
YouV8 – a solution that measures your exposure to UV rays
