The 41 companies of Batch 20 proudly graduated from 500 Startups three month Accelerator program by pitching to an auditorium full of investors on their Demo Day held on May 12, 2017. The startups fell mainly into the categories of Digital Health, FinTech and Civic Tech. With a flair for fun, the theme for the event was the “Summer of Love” and Dave McClure and the 500 Team were dressed up in their groovy getups.
In no particular order, here are some of the startups that I found hip.
Outta Sight!
I have two Amazon Echo’s in my house and use Siri often with my iPhone. Consequently, Mycroft AI was my top pick for the batch. They’ve developed an open source voice assistant platform that allows companies to create their own voice assistant interface.
Bummer…You Need a Lawyer
The only thing worse than going to a dentist is having to find a lawyer. Having personally done this in the past, it’s really not fun. Court Buddy helps consumers find solo practicing lawyers that offer flat rates.
Keep on Truckin’
Preteckt has developed a platform that uses both hardware and software to provide real time data for big rigs and effectively predicts needed maintenance and minimizes on down time for the trucking industry.
Flashback: It’s Been Done Before But…
With Printivo, you can make business cards, custom stationary, banners, posters via their web site. Hmmm….aren’t there a ton of companies like VistaPrint and Shutterfly that already do this? Yes, but Printivo is the only online service that does this in Africa which is green territory worth an estimated $8 B. I personally like startups that do functions that we find mundane in areas that are underserved.
Head Trip: Why Hasn’t This Been Done Yet?
BenRevo has developed a sales automation platform for the health insurance industry. This essentially provides the ability for health insurance to be purchased online. Why is this head trip? I don’t know why the insurance companies do this themselves. Kudos to the Benrevo team for recognizing the need and developing a solution.
It’s Hip to be Square
Combine the most boring topics, government, big data, and urban planning and you get the startup, UrbanLogiq. UrbanLogiq has developed a platform where they aggregate big data into a usable format which really helps out city planners. A yawn fest for me but, if you’re a city planner, UrbanLogiq is pretty hip.
Nark and Get Paid
Sacramento based Text To Ticket has developed an app where you can report texting drivers. A good video that catches the culprit will nab the nark $5 (Text to Ticket gets a lot more when they forward the video to the appropriate enforcement agency).
Groovy: A Fun Startup
Win-Win has developed a platform where athletes can engage their fans by hosting games while raising funds for their charities. I found their CEO, Mike Tauiliili, pretty interesting. He was an NFL Player that played for the Indianapolis Colts. Afterwards, he learned to code and joined the Silicon Valley startup world.
Join Batch 22
How well the Batch 20 companies do remains to be seen, but 500 Startups does have an excellent track record. Producing three unicorn startups (with a fourth, possibly on the way). 37 Centaurs, (valued $100-999 M), and over 300 Ponies ($10-99 M).
If You Are Interested
If you’re interest in 500 Startups, they are currently looking for applicants for Batch 22.
A good candidate should have:
• Balanced Team
• Product Launched
• Traction with Good Metrics
If your startup is interested in applying for Batch 22, find the application here.