Covington-based tech accelerator UpTech hosted its seventh Demo Day on Jan. 17, and it was, in a phrase, a hoot. From startup presentations to big announcements and a hearty sense of humor, it was a full and entertaining night at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center.
After a welcome from UpTech Investment Coordinator Casey Barach, Board Chair Tom Prewitt started the program off with a few words acknowledging the success the accelerator has achieved.
"When we started this program in 2010, we designed a report card," he said. And since then, the team has kept tabs on performance as UpTech inched closer to its goal of helping 50 companies grow.
This year, the accelerator proved who thought they were crazy to aim that high wrong: UpTech successfully worked with 53 entities throughout its history.
Afterwards a few words from UpTech Managing Director J.B. Woodruff, the CVG International Airport's chief innovation officer Brian Cobb rolled right in. I mean that literally; he rolled out on a Segway miniPro.
Cobb announced that the accelerator and the CVG International Airport would be partnering for a project in the near future (details to be announced).
While additional information on the move was sparse, Cobb did provide slight context, discussing the unique challenges and wins of the airport, which has served as a major vessel for the region. He also hinted that the partnership should have a major positive impact on the tristate.
After the announcement, Woodruff transitioned the program into the pitch portion of the night, which featured the members of UpTech's seventh cohort. Participants were a mix of both local and national startups.
CEO Obed Eugene from Convolytics kicked off the startup presentations. This San Francisco-based startup seeks to help improve sales rep skills by recording their conversations with clients. These recordings can then be used to indicate the employees' strengths and areas of improvement moving forward.
Local and serial entrepreneur Nikki Ridenour presented her newest startup, Plantalytics. Along with her husband, Chris, the team is seeking to modernize farmers' record keeping. Both Nikki and Chris helped found Lisnr and are now running their second startup as a duo. They also recently went through The Brandery's gBeta accelerator.
During her pitch, Ridenour noted that most farmers fail not because there's a market problem, but because there's a business management problem — one that she experience first-hand when running her own farm. When she noticed that most farmers keep paper records, she found that she could solve a pain point by digitizing them.
Four other startups also participated in the seventh cohort. We outline these companies below, with descriptions provided by UpTech.
- Apex Sports: Picture one of your favorite athletes. Now, imagine that athlete teaching the ins and outs of the sport, making you a better player in return. Apex Sports wants to make that vision more of a reality for any amateur athlete, connecting the interested user to professional coaching for a low cost. This startup was the product of three Miami University graduates, class of 2017: Connor Morris (CMO), Austin Fenstermaker (CTO) and Marcus Davis (CEO)
- OrgAnalytix: Founded in 2016, OrgAnalytix enables team leaders to harness the power of employee relationship networks when making team-related decisions to enhance performance and morale and reduce attrition. OrgAnalytix is a Cincinnati startup.
- TruCircle: TruCircle uses video conferencing, training and client engagement tools to make it easier for mental health professionals to connect and engage with their clients. The startup was established in 2015 in Brooklyn, New York.
- Weeve: Weeve uses an AI-driven chatbot that directly interacts with employees in order to pull out better, more frequent insights to recommend actions for organizational improvement. With Weeve, companies can proactively define a cultural vision and organically identify issues. The Austin-based startup was founded in 2017.
Miss the event? Check out some tweets from the evening here or the live stream here.
