The Outside The Box Interactive (OTBi) festival kicks off Wednesday on the Boston Common where the innovation community has yet another opportunity to come together, share ideas and even compete. Namely, the OTB Interactive awards will take place Friday night just before Daughtry rocks the house. Of all of the early-stage companies that submitted their short YouTube video pitches for the interactive awards, only three were chosen to pitch their startups in front of thousands on stage.
Here is a first look at the three finalists of OTBi's first ever interactive awards: Flare Jewelry, SmartSwapp and Gatsby.
Flare Jewelry looks like normal jewelry, but has technology inside of it to help protect in dangerous situations and can collect evidence in case you need it later. Equipped with an alarm and recording device, the bracelet has a silent mode that sends texts to your emergency contacts, and a panic mode that sends texts with your exact location to your emergency contacts asking them to call 911. 60-Second Video
SmartSwapp hopes to be an honest, efficient system that looks to bridge the gap between the online and offline service industry. This social site allows people to make profiles detailing their unique skills and general location so they can help those around them as well as receive help with specific tasks. SmartSwapp looks to ensure everyone - from a house cleaner to a personal trainer - gets help they want and offers help for those in need. 60-Second Video
Gatsby, described as the "Slack for social life", it's a messaging app designed to help friends get together and make plans. Unlike text messages or emails, Gatsby keeps important event information at the bottom of the page, including the time, place friends are meeting and the items that people are bringing to the event. This allows people to access event information as the conversation continues on. On the homepage you can find all the events you're hosting or planning with your friends. 60-Second Video
These three companies will have the chance to pitch in front of thousands of people for top honors and seed funding. And as you can see, all three finalists have some form of social focus that broadens access to things that people need, just as Ted Cutler (philanthropist and OTB's founder) has done for the performing arts.
"We were blown away by the amount of interest in this year's OTB Interactive Awards, especially from early-stage companies," said Jon Ricci, Director of Innovation at OTB Interactive. "Our finalists all share a passion for broadening access to meaningful community-minded services and products, which is consistent with the Outside the Box brand and its mission to broaden access and opportunity for the entire Boston ecosystem. With dozens of entries and more than 2000 attendees registered, OTBi is clearly resonating with the innovation community. We look forward to building a SXSW-style festival in Boston, for Boston."
With the new addition of innovation to the festival, BostInno is very proud to be a media partner. We hope to see all of Boston's innovation community on the Boston Common this Friday night, as the finalists battle for seed funding and the coveted OTBi Awards 3D-printed Trophy, designed by Formlabs.
