“Get in the Ring: The North American Startup Clash” Semifinalists

“Get in the Ring: The North American Startup Clash” Semifinalists
Advolve Media
Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada)
Advolve Media offers a digital network of interactive, technologically advanced advertising
mediums. For example, its Mirage Mirror displays motion-activated digital messages in
restrooms of popular venues.
Bryce North has five years’ experience in the marketing/
advertising industry. Prior to Advolve Media, he successfully
launched two startup companies while helping consult others.
He has competed with multiple ventures in many business-plan
and venture competitions, winning multiple awards for his
execution in technology and business strategy implementations.
Bryce’s background includes ten years of sales and customer
relations experience, selling technology and related services. He
has vast knowledge in technical systems, basic programming,
and integrated hardware systems. Bryce earned a Bachelor of Commerce Honours Degree from
the University of Manitoba in both entrepreneurship and marketing.
Atlantia Search
Mexico City (Mexico)
Atlantia Search helps businesses and individuals make better decisions through expert
analytical reports. Atlantia Search connects its clients to an international pool of experts through
an online platform, democratizing the access to specialized information.
Juan José Mora, the CEO and cofounder of Atlantia Search,
holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of A
Coruña, Spain, with an emphasis in applied economics. He has
more than six years of experience with non-governmental
organizations in various countries, working at a national
executive level in fields related to communications, information
management, and sales. More recently, he was a senior
consultant who designed and ran projects with companies such
as Coca‐Cola/FEMSA, Intel, and Grupo Herdez. For more than two years, he led a team of
seventeen members as sales director in Enersave, an energy savings company, doubling the
revenue of the company each year.
Briteseed
Chicago, Illinois (United States)
Briteseed is a medical-device company dedicated to fostering innovative technologies that
benefit patients and reduce health care costs. Its SafeSnips technology accomplishes both of
these goals by integrating real-time blood vessel detection into existing laparoscopic and robotic
cutting devices.
Paul Fehrenbacher, president and CEO, leverages his years of
experience in management as well as his clinical medical
training from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of
Medicine to lead Briteseed’s strategic initiatives. Among other
roles, Paul has previously served as a partner in an investment
firm, director of a surgical center in Haiti, director of pre-clinical
evaluation at a biotechnology company, and oversaw research
for a large clinical trials unit at Washington University. He
graduated from the University of Notre Dame with highest
distinction and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
ContratosApp
Mexico City (Mexico)
ContratosApp is a mobile app to simplify contract agreements and automate legal notifications.
It lets users create legal, binding contracts in an accessible language and with the option of
signing wherever they are.
Ignacio Bermeo has practiced law throughout his professional
career, developing multiple businesses along the way. He
created a magazine called TUSABOGADOS: Legal Terms for
Everyone; created a site for legal consultation called
tusabogados.com; and owned an Apple Authorized Training
Center, where he learned and taught how to develop apps for
iPhone and iPad. At the same time, Ignacio started a small
agency called TailorMade-Apps, where he developed mobile
apps for small and large clients. He then enrolled in the
Founder Institute—being accepted from 300 applicants—and
graduated in September, having already raised $90,000 for his company.
FitBark
Kansas City, Missouri (United States)
FitBark is the world’s smallest wireless activity monitor for dogs. By combining wearable
technology and sophisticated design, it helps pet owners understand their dog’s health and
behavior, so they can take better care of their canine companions.
Davide Rossi, before becoming cofounder and CEO of FitBark,
served as an investment banker with Deutsche Bank in New
York, where he advised financial technology clients on capital
raises and mergers and acquisitions. Previously, Davide
designed Ferrari engines, co-founded BRM Model Cars, and
was an oil and gas project and sales manager for Socotherm in
Asia and the Middle East. He holds bachelor’s and master’s
degrees in mechanical engineering from Universita’ degli Studi
di Padova in Italy, a Masters of Business Administration from the
MIT School of Management, and has studied at UCLA and the
IESE Business School in Spain.
Hydrobee
Seattle, Washington (United States)
Hydrobee has created a renewable energy platform to provide backup power for USB devices.
Its portable USB turbine generates personal power from nature, through things such as water,
wind, sun, fire or human exertion.
Burt Hamner has spent 20 years bringing clean technologies to
the developing world for the United Nations, the World Bank and
others; then he invented new hydrokinetic technologies to make
renewable energy from flowing water in rivers and canals. After
selling his first company, he founded Hydrobee SPC to bring
personal, renewable energy to millions of people. Burt’s
experience in developing countries inspired him to make the
Hydrobee affordable for millions in poverty using micropayments over mobile phones accounts. He is a professor,
trainer, author and musician who has won several national
prizes for his two clean-energy startups.
Identified Technologies
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (United States)
Identified Technologies uses unmanned aerial systems for data gathering and sensing in
hazardous environments. It delivers fast, safe and more frequent data to energy and
construction companies using an unmanned aerial vehicle and docking system, all without any
human intervention.
Dick Zhang is the founder and CEO of Identified Technologies.
His background includes project management roles at both
Bristol-Myers Squibb and Goldman Sachs. Dick is an engineer
by training, having earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering,
mechanical engineering and applied mechanics from the
University of Pennsylvania. In addition, he actively supports
science, technology, engineering and math education by
mentoring and coaching Pittsburgh middle and high school
students through the FIRST Robotics Competition.
Maieutic
Oakville, Ontario (Canada)
Maieutic has developed a unique die- and surface-casting technology called a “programmable
surface.” It comprises an array of pins whose individual heights can be adjusted via Lorrentz
force, allowing users to compensate for variations that arise in the manufacturing process.
Asif Khan is the CEO of Maieutic and is one of its four
cofounders. He received a bachelor’s of applied science degree
in nanotechnology engineering at the University of Waterloo,
where he currently is a master’s student studying the use of
artificial intelligence in designing microfluidic chips. Asif is
passionate about new technologies and how they can be used to
impact society.
Petsy.mx
Colonia Roma, Cuauhtémoc (Mexico)
Petsy.mx is a leading e-commerce site for petcare products in Mexico. In addition to offering an
extensive array of pet food and accessories, it provides exemplary customer service, free 24hour delivery in throughout Mexico City and an in-house veterinary team.
Pablo Pedrejón García grew up in Madrid, Spain, where he
earned joint B.S. and M.A. degrees in industrial engineering at
ICAI and a J.D. in civil law from UNED. He has since earned a
Masters of Business Administration from the University of
Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and an M.A. in
international affairs from the Lauder Institute. For three years,
Pedro worked as a management consultant at Oliver Wyman in
Europe and Brazil, and last summer worked as a business
manager for Amazon in Seattle, Washington.
PPLCONNECT
Montreal (Canada)
PPLCONNECT is a free mobile app which lets people access and use their smartphone from
any web-enabled device. It gives users the flexibility to send and receive SMS messages on a
computer, tablet or a second phone.
Jenviev Azzolin’s passion lies in enabling positive social change
by leveraging innovation and new technology in a meaningful
way. She is an advocate of all things digital and believes that
consumers now, more than ever, have the power to shape the
future of products and brands. Driven by a desire to improve
communications, Jenviev launched PPLCONNECT to empower
users to continue their conversations seamlessly across devices
(smartphone, computer, tablet) and across communication
channels (SMS, messaging apps). As cofounder of PPLCONNECT, Jenviev currently oversees
the company’s strategic direction, new opportunities, and central business functions.
RocketJourney
Monterrey (Mexico)
Rocket Journey is a mobile app and website focused on behavorial-change and fitness. It helps
people achieve their fitness goals through game mechanics, team accountability and online
personal training.
Carlos Ayala is the CEO and cofounder of Rocket Journey. He
was born in Tucson, Arizona; raised in Obregon, Sonora,
Mexico; and attended Missouri Military Academy (where he was
a platoon leader and became the first student to earn the rank of
officer in only one year). Carlos has a degree in economics from
Tec de Monterrey, and studied in applied economics at Southern
Methodist University and global management at Stanford
University. He is a self-taught programmer specializing in objectoriented programming and databases. Carlos interned at Alta
Ventures, a venture capital firm based in Monterrey, Mexico, and
worked in the economics research department at Tec de
Monterrey where he helped design a new formula to distribute the infrastructure funds in
Mexico, preventing perverse incentives and guiding the efficient allocation of resources.
The Rumie Initiative
Toronto (Canada)
The Rumie Initiative is a non-profit organization bringing free digital educational content to the
world’s underprivileged children. It provides high-quality educational materials—ranging from
books and lectures to exercises and games—through low-cost technology.
Tariq Fancy founded Rumie in 2013 after a notable career at the
intersection of the finance, technology, and emerging markets.
He started his career as a Palo Alto-based tech-investment
banker before joining New York City-based private-equity firm
MHR Fund Management, where he became the firm’s youngest
partner after leading numerous successful turnarounds of
technology companies. Tariq’s investments in 2004 to bring
mobile phones to emerging markets as a “leapfrog” innovation
inspired Rumie; he sees the same “perfect storm” of market
forces enabling a pragmatic, market-based solution to education that will drive another
watershed moment in international development.
ShopIndigenous.ca
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Canada)
ShopIndigenous.ca is a one-stop-shop where artists can upload their current artwork, music,
fashion, accessories and more to easily sell to a global audience. In addition, it provides an
online platform to sellers who might be unable to build and maintain their own website.
Heather Abbey is a Cree woman and single mother from Little
Pine First Nation, currently residing in Saskatoon. She is the
proud owner of ShopIndigenous.ca, currently rebranding as
ShopIndig.ca, and has placed in seven business-planning
competitions to create her e-commerce site for indigenous
artisans. Heather credits the success of the site to the artisans
themselves—it was built using feedback every step of the way—
and the site is undergoing expansion through winter 2014.
Spot On Sciences
Austin, Texas (United States)
Spot On Sciences develops and markets innovative devices that revolutionize the collection and
storage of biological fluids for medical research and diagnostic testing. Its dried-blood-spot
technology offers simplified remote blood collection, allowing anyone to take a blood sample at
any time, anywhere.
Jeanette Hill, founder and CEO of Spot On Sciences Inc., has
more than 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical research. In
her most recent position, she was the director of operations for a
large biotech company where she managed multi-site
operations, personnel and products for preclinical drug testing
with revenue in excess of $20 million per year. Jeanette
received a doctorate in bio-organic chemistry at Washington
University in St. Louis, Missouri, with research in protein
engineering, and completed post-doctoral research on liver
disease and diabetes at Case Western Reserve University and
Washington University Medical School.
Torre Médica Metropolitana
Colonia Condesa (Mexico)
Torre Médica Metropolitana is a flexible office-sharing solution for physicians and other
professionals related to the field of health. Medical professionals choose when and how often to
use their space without the overhead of renting a traditional office.
Jonathan Gilbert studied international relations at a private
university in Mexico City where he began collaborating with his
father’s dental clinic. From that experience, Jonathan has
developed a new concept based on a clear guideline: Give
medical practitioners the capability to use only the office-time
they need, paying only for the services they need. For that
purpose, Jonathan analyzed many business models which thrive
from being flexible; from virtual offices to motels which charge by
the hour. He says, “We have learned about construction,
medicine, law, technology, and more. It has been fun, but more
important than that, it has been enriching. I got to know my
father as a partner. He has been my father for more than thirty
years (and my boss from time to time) but having to make
decisions together, considering that we have substantially different personalities, has been an
incredibly rewarding experience.”