Fourteen startups graduated from DreamIt Ventures‘ accelerator program in New York City Wednesday. And thanks to the one of their CEOs, there are two easy ways to hear their pitches.
The first is to read the handy bullet-point list below. The second is to listen to Re-Vinyl CEO Michael Morgan’s version of the list, which he rapped to the tune of Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” after the last company demoed its product.
It’s not the first time Morgan’s rapping talents came into play during his DreamIt experience — or even at demo day. (The first performance had a backup dancer.) He previously rapped a pitch for his company in a meeting with suit-clad angel investors.
“It was probably the most awkward and painful thing I’ve ever endured,” he says of that experience. “They just stared with cold-stone eyes the whole time.”
Thankfully, the demo day rap went over much better with its audience of investors, fellow startup founders and advisers. It starts out with a comparison between Morgan’s hometown of Los Angeles and New York, and then it describes each of the companies.
“Throughout the whole process, some people went to the gym or did something else to unwind,” says Morgan, who has self-produced four albums of his music. “Mine has been writing poetry and raps.”
DreamIt Ventures’ NYC Demo Day Startups: The Bullet-Point List
Hoot.me: A Facebook app that “switches Facebook into study mode” by showing students what their friends are working on and allowing them to collaborate on Facebook.
Let’s Gift It: Gives online retailers the ability to allow multiple contributions towards high ticket items on their registry, wish list and product pages. The team just announced their first retail client, 1-800-Flowers.
Cognection: Uses research in consumer psychology and behavioral economics for product recommendation on ecommerce sites.
AppBrick: Allows publishers and authors to create interactive ebooks without programming.
Take The Interview: A cloud-based video interviewing platform for employers and candidates.
ClothesHorse: Enables consumers to shop for clothing across retailers with a single user profile. It’s described as being “like a Facebook Connect for fashion.”
Pandaly: Uses individual preferences expressed in interactive games to recommend the most relevant deals to each consumer.
AfterSteps: An end-of-life planning service that helps users create a complete plan, store it and then transfer it to designated family members upon death.
LearnBop: Enables tutors to create interactive math and science problems online that respond to a student’s incorrect responses with real-time clues, as a tutor would in a one-on-one scenario.
AppAddictive: A social media marketing platform that integrates content, ad campaign, messaging and analytics in one place.
Re-Vinyl: A mobile application that creates a rich interactive experience around music.
KeepIdeas: Creates vertically focused products that help consumers organize and collaborate on decisions in the cloud. KeepRecipes, for instance, is like a virtual recipe box.
Pictour: A marketplace for photo tours. Anyone can create and sell a tour that is displayed on an interactive map.
1DocWay: An online doctor’s office where patients can schedule appointments and see their doctor on video chat platform.
DreamIt Ventures’ NYC Demo Day Startups: The Rap, by Michael Morgan
If you have investment problems, I feel bad for you son
We got 99 problems but a pitch ain’t one
Back in ’98 when the bubble was big
playing games in LA, I was just a little kid
decades change and I’m playing the game in the land of BIG
and the BIG question is: we in a bubble again?
Well I can’t answer that I can only share what I’ve seen
for the last three months I’ve been here living the dream
hustling New York with the best teams in the tech scene
Today’s our day to be winning like Charlie Sheen
I’m bi-coastal now so I better settle the beef
My loyalty’s to progress – but if both sides are green -
then let’s roll in the grass – you all know what I mean.
I’m Hollywood, You are Broadway
I’m Oscar, You’re Tony,
I’m Lakers, You’re Knicks
but we all screen Kobe!
I’m a car, you’re a buildin’
I’m Suster, You’re Wilson
Whichever one is willin
to sign their initials – when
you hear these pitches
man, you just can’t resist them
Just two and a half minutes – don’t need two and a half men – but if Ashton Kutcher’s here you can tweet along, friend.
here are the next best investments,
Tech Crunch, impressed yet? Get out your Twitter, now put this on trend:
1DocWay promises a way healthier day, with an on-line spot where doc can set up shop
LearnBop, dibba dop dop, learn bop, ooh, switch learning up, yeah, let the beat drop,
Panda.ly – hands you the best deals with a panda paw
Can’t cog block Cognetion – making products unflawed
App Brick lets you build apps like that third little pig
Hoot.me makes you a Facebook know it all – who wants a hooty call?
Then there’s AppAddictive, don’t be social network trippin,
makes sure you get the most for what you’re giving them
just like let’s gift it – Everybody chipping in
Ride that clothes horse – fashion tour de force give you measurements and sizes all through a website and
Aftersteps – makes planning for the afterlife heaven –
KeepIdeas – never again will cookbooks be separate
Take a walk with Pictour – tourist phone centered
Take The Interview and you can stay home in the winter
and I rep Re-Vinyl – so let me close out the summer, please
I’ll say this just in case Jay-Z is listening
you say a mill is nothing – then invest in these companies
cause we will change an industry
that goes for every team, revolutionary motives, but we all come in peace
so raise your fists with me, it’s time for change to happen
New York back on the map, we’re bringing America back,
you can call me the Captain and buy this track on our app.
Play that cowbell, Will Ferrel,
PEACE.
More About: Demo Day, Dreamit ventures, PitchFor more Startups coverage:Follow Mashable Startups on TwitterBecome a Fan on FacebookSubscribe to the Startups channelDownload our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad
Posted on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 22:59:51 +0000 at http://feeds.mashable.com/~r/Mashable/~3/FQuPa8oRVS4/
Comments: http://mashable.com/2011/08/10/ceo-...problems-but-a-pitch-aint-one-video/#comments
The first is to read the handy bullet-point list below. The second is to listen to Re-Vinyl CEO Michael Morgan’s version of the list, which he rapped to the tune of Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” after the last company demoed its product.
It’s not the first time Morgan’s rapping talents came into play during his DreamIt experience — or even at demo day. (The first performance had a backup dancer.) He previously rapped a pitch for his company in a meeting with suit-clad angel investors.
“It was probably the most awkward and painful thing I’ve ever endured,” he says of that experience. “They just stared with cold-stone eyes the whole time.”
Thankfully, the demo day rap went over much better with its audience of investors, fellow startup founders and advisers. It starts out with a comparison between Morgan’s hometown of Los Angeles and New York, and then it describes each of the companies.
“Throughout the whole process, some people went to the gym or did something else to unwind,” says Morgan, who has self-produced four albums of his music. “Mine has been writing poetry and raps.”
DreamIt Ventures’ NYC Demo Day Startups: The Bullet-Point List
Hoot.me: A Facebook app that “switches Facebook into study mode” by showing students what their friends are working on and allowing them to collaborate on Facebook.
Let’s Gift It: Gives online retailers the ability to allow multiple contributions towards high ticket items on their registry, wish list and product pages. The team just announced their first retail client, 1-800-Flowers.
Cognection: Uses research in consumer psychology and behavioral economics for product recommendation on ecommerce sites.
AppBrick: Allows publishers and authors to create interactive ebooks without programming.
Take The Interview: A cloud-based video interviewing platform for employers and candidates.
ClothesHorse: Enables consumers to shop for clothing across retailers with a single user profile. It’s described as being “like a Facebook Connect for fashion.”
Pandaly: Uses individual preferences expressed in interactive games to recommend the most relevant deals to each consumer.
AfterSteps: An end-of-life planning service that helps users create a complete plan, store it and then transfer it to designated family members upon death.
LearnBop: Enables tutors to create interactive math and science problems online that respond to a student’s incorrect responses with real-time clues, as a tutor would in a one-on-one scenario.
AppAddictive: A social media marketing platform that integrates content, ad campaign, messaging and analytics in one place.
Re-Vinyl: A mobile application that creates a rich interactive experience around music.
KeepIdeas: Creates vertically focused products that help consumers organize and collaborate on decisions in the cloud. KeepRecipes, for instance, is like a virtual recipe box.
Pictour: A marketplace for photo tours. Anyone can create and sell a tour that is displayed on an interactive map.
1DocWay: An online doctor’s office where patients can schedule appointments and see their doctor on video chat platform.
DreamIt Ventures’ NYC Demo Day Startups: The Rap, by Michael Morgan
If you have investment problems, I feel bad for you son
We got 99 problems but a pitch ain’t one
Back in ’98 when the bubble was big
playing games in LA, I was just a little kid
decades change and I’m playing the game in the land of BIG
and the BIG question is: we in a bubble again?
Well I can’t answer that I can only share what I’ve seen
for the last three months I’ve been here living the dream
hustling New York with the best teams in the tech scene
Today’s our day to be winning like Charlie Sheen
I’m bi-coastal now so I better settle the beef
My loyalty’s to progress – but if both sides are green -
then let’s roll in the grass – you all know what I mean.
I’m Hollywood, You are Broadway
I’m Oscar, You’re Tony,
I’m Lakers, You’re Knicks
but we all screen Kobe!
I’m a car, you’re a buildin’
I’m Suster, You’re Wilson
Whichever one is willin
to sign their initials – when
you hear these pitches
man, you just can’t resist them
Just two and a half minutes – don’t need two and a half men – but if Ashton Kutcher’s here you can tweet along, friend.
here are the next best investments,
Tech Crunch, impressed yet? Get out your Twitter, now put this on trend:
1DocWay promises a way healthier day, with an on-line spot where doc can set up shop
LearnBop, dibba dop dop, learn bop, ooh, switch learning up, yeah, let the beat drop,
Panda.ly – hands you the best deals with a panda paw
Can’t cog block Cognetion – making products unflawed
App Brick lets you build apps like that third little pig
Hoot.me makes you a Facebook know it all – who wants a hooty call?
Then there’s AppAddictive, don’t be social network trippin,
makes sure you get the most for what you’re giving them
just like let’s gift it – Everybody chipping in
Ride that clothes horse – fashion tour de force give you measurements and sizes all through a website and
Aftersteps – makes planning for the afterlife heaven –
KeepIdeas – never again will cookbooks be separate
Take a walk with Pictour – tourist phone centered
Take The Interview and you can stay home in the winter
and I rep Re-Vinyl – so let me close out the summer, please
I’ll say this just in case Jay-Z is listening
you say a mill is nothing – then invest in these companies
cause we will change an industry
that goes for every team, revolutionary motives, but we all come in peace
so raise your fists with me, it’s time for change to happen
New York back on the map, we’re bringing America back,
you can call me the Captain and buy this track on our app.
Play that cowbell, Will Ferrel,
PEACE.
More About: Demo Day, Dreamit ventures, PitchFor more Startups coverage:Follow Mashable Startups on TwitterBecome a Fan on FacebookSubscribe to the Startups channelDownload our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad
Posted on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 22:59:51 +0000 at http://feeds.mashable.com/~r/Mashable/~3/FQuPa8oRVS4/
Comments: http://mashable.com/2011/08/10/ceo-...problems-but-a-pitch-aint-one-video/#comments