This post is a part of BostInno's 2013 Innovation Recap, a 25-page compilation of the city's biggest business news from 2013, including everything from the must-know fundings to the year's best reads from local thought leaders. To download the entire report, click here.
Techstars Boston and MassChallenge play a tremendous role in encouraging innovation within the city and beyond. Each year, thousands of young teams submit their applications, crossing their fingers in hopes that they will be admitted to the next class.
And rightfully so: For many folks, the chance to work in proximity to other such creative minds like themselves – much less, to have a place to work in general – is priceless. Add access to seasoned entrepreneurs on the ready with advice and guidance, and it is easy to see why fledgling startups flock from all corners of the world to participate in these two accelerators.
The two accelerators honored their own selection of standouts from each session in Techstars Demo Day and the MassChallenge Awards this year. While each accelerator produced many notable startups, we have sifted through their 2013 classes and picked out companies that have made leaps and bounds since entering their respective programs, and hold promise in 2014.
Viral Gains
MassChallenge judges declared this startup a $100,000 Diamond Winner at this year’s Awards Ceremony in October. ViralGains delivers viral marketing analytics at scale for online videos to help agencies and brands maximize their YouTube content. Already one of the largest teams at MassChallenge, ViralGains will be expanding further in the new year when it joins batch seven of 500 Startups, an accelerator based in Silicon Valley.
Jebbit
The pay-for-performance mobile marketing startup has garnered much attention since its start in 2011, especially in the last 12 months.
Jebbit first drew eyes in 2013 when its Boston College co-founders announced their leave of absence from school along with a $229,000 round from an impressive list of investors, including Boston Seed Capital, HubSpot’s Dharmesh Shah and General Catalyst Co-Founder John Simon in January.
On TechStars’ Demo Day, the Jebbit team teased the crowd that “big news” was coming. As it turned out, that news soon became the company closing on a $1.25 million round of funding and welcoming Shoebuy.com Founder Scott Savitz to its executive board. Further, just in August at Boston's Tech Cocktail, Jebbit was named "Boston's Hottest Showcasing Startup - Reader's Choice," as voted on by Tech Cocktail's online audience.
Fancred
Fancred made a strong first appearance at Techstars' Demo Day when Red Sox big-name designated hitter David Ortiz surprised the audience with an on-stage appearance alongside the startup.
The company, which created and supports the ultimate sports fan community platform, recently popped up on the scene in October, when it almost too serendipitously announced it had closed a $1.5 million seed round. The round was led by Atlas Venture, but also had participation from a number of prominent angels, as well as Linda Pizzuti Henry, wife of Red Sox owner John Henry.
To see the other stellar startups from MassChallenge and Techstars Boston's 2013 classes, go here.
