Last night, student ventures piled into the Accelerate space at Wentworth for the school’s latest pitch round. Almost a dozen startups - which ranged from a Guatemalan-inspired line of accessories to guardrail cushioning to decrease car crash fatalities - pitched to a panel of judges and a full room of spectators. But only four ventures were granted funding.
Here’s a quick look at the most recent group of student startups backed by Accelerate, and I’m watching out for at least a couple of them to make big waves in Boston.
MD&GH Contact Casing
Who the founders are: Mike Dibernardo and Greg Hurley.
What they do: If you wear contact lenses, you know that frantic feeling you get when you can’t find your case anywhere. And of course, there’s the extra obstacle of not being able to see anything if you’re lenses are in said missing case. This Wentworth startup is making life a little easier for you. It’s coming up with a nifty contact case that helps people pindown the whereabouts of their lenses.
How much they got: $2,000
closeFriends
Who the founders are: Tristen Cary and Andrew Amorelli.
What they do: Past a certain age, making new friends - beyond work acquaintances - can be troublesome, if not nearly impossible. There are dating apps galore, but nothing out there specifically aims to help people forge friendships. Until now. The app closeFriends will leverage Facebook likes to match users in a certain area with one another based on commonalities they select. It then instantly opens up a video chat with these matches and lets them discuss the shared interests they’ve chosen to chat about.
How much they got: $5,000
Peekseeq
Who the founders are: Alex Stokes and Matt Eisenberg.
What they do: There are music sharing sites, and then there’s software for producing your own beats. So what if you were able to access a hybrid of the two? Peekseeq makes that possible. The startup is bringing people access to an online music sample store that features an audio sequencer and drum machine. Musicians can use the platform to create beats, loops, midi and sample bundles.
How much they got: $2,500
ESI
Who the founders are: Chris Auld, Kevin Babineau, Nick Poplar, Jorge Reyes and Ben Waltuch.
What they do: People experiencing severe kidney failure have a few options for dialysis, one of which involves having a permanent catheter inserted into your body. Patients who choose this peritoneal dialysis option because they don’t have to go to the hospital for treatments can experience discomfort and risk infection around the catheter site. ESI is coming up with a device that would stabilize, cover and protect catheter sites. This could mean a more comfortable and high quality of life people undergoing this form of dialysis treatment.
How much they got: $5,000, which will be used for more sophisticated prototyping materials.
Image via Stephanie Crepeau, Wentworth Accelerate.
