Eight finalists have been selected to pitch their business ideas at The Company Lab’s annual ‘Will This Float?’ competition. The event will take place Monday, Oct. 16, from 6-9 p.m. at River Place, 2 W. Aquarium Way. Admission is free. Click here to reserve a ticket.
At the event, each finalist gets three minutes to pitch his or her startup idea before a panel of judges and an audience of local startup leaders, general attendees and potential mentors and business partners. A brief Q&A session with judges will follow each presentation. Once all the presentations are complete, the judges will deliberate, assessing candidates according to a set of five assessment criteria. During that time, audience members will have an opportunity to vote for their favorite ideas, with their collective feedback determining the winner of the People’s Choice Award.
After judges and the audience have reached their decisions, CO.LAB will announce the winners. The top honoree will receive a cash prize of $1,000 and an Interactive Pass to SXSW, the first runner up will receive $500 and the recipient of the most audience votes will receive $250. The first and second place winners will also receive a package of free business services to continue developing their ideas. Those packages include:
10 hours of legal services from Chambliss Startup Group or Miller & Martin
10 hours of accounting services from Henderson, Hutcherson & McCullough
Three months of access to co-working space at Society of Work
A spot in the CO.LAB Accelerator, GIGTANK Accelerator, CO.STARTERS program or Roadmap program
About the Finalists
Flaming Monkey Flying Circus is a Chattanooga-based artist collective that creates interactive art installations and breaks from the traditional artist compensation model. The group will develop large-scale exhibitions in tourist-heavy areas and elsewhere, paying artists a percentage of ticket sales and then exporting their creations and concepts to other cities. // Presenters: Raquel Mullins and Kevin Bate
Infinite Closet is an on-demand, micro-storage service that gives urban residents access to their personal belongings without having to maintain physical possession of them. For a low monthly price, customers receive durable, plastic storage containers, unlimited pickup and delivery service, and storage space in a secure, climate-controlled environment. // Presenter: Kevin Cherrick
InfinityCo. LLC is the creator of Interactive Intellectual Room Assistance, a guest-room software for the hospitality industry that allows customers to use their phones to control their room’s environment. Guests at hotels and other participating sites can use the platform to adjust the lighting and temperature of their rooms, unlock doors and more. // Presenter: JaQuar McMickle
Please Assist Me is a tech-based platform that allows customers to outsource their weekly household chores to a team of trusted professionals. The service offers a comprehensive solution to people with busy lifestyles, managing everything from their groceries, laundry, dry cleaning, mail, housecleaning and more at an affordable price. // Presenter: Stephanie Cummings
SWAYY is a design and manufacturing company that produces fully-insulated hammocks. The company aims to minimize the gear used in overnight camping while also providing comfort for a variety of seasons. // Presenter: Seth Hill
The House is a 'what's going on tonight' app for restaurants and bars. The platform showcases daily happenings and exclusive offers at all the best spots in town for happy hours, specials, events, live music and more. // Presenter: Matt Patterson
Tryall is a web and mobile platform that allows users to test subscription-based products without the typical stresses of free trials. The platform helps users find and easily manage free trial subscriptions, receive personalized recommendations for other free trials, and track expiration dates to avoid incurring charges for products and services the user does not want to purchase. // Presenter: Jason Oteng-Nyame
Woorly is a social CRM mobile app that connects the smallest of businesses with their existing customers while helping them find new ones. The platform also enables customers to quickly find exceptional service providers and rewards them for sharing their experiences. // Presenter: Aaron Welch