JUMPSTART FOUNDRY ANNOUNCES 2012 COHORT
Nashville, Tenn. (May 3, 2012) – Nashville-based tech business accelerator, Jumpstart Foundry, has announced ten selected applicants to build companies in their comprehensive business accelerator program at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center this summer.
“The selection was especially difficult this year because of the vast number of high quality applicants. It made the evaluation process longer than expected,” said Vic Gatto, Partner for Solidus Company and a Jumpstart Foundry managing director. “We are excited to get started with this year’s cohort.”
The ten selected applicants include:
Contigo, a developing a short-term loan solution to compete with the existing “pay-day” loan industry. Loans will be delivered through a proprietary underwriting model and online platform.
Jamplify (formerly OKDJ), a fan-engagement platform which gamifies free music releases by incentivizing fans to act as promoters for artists.
The Skillery, an online platform that connects teachers and learners, who offer administrative support for offline classes and workshops.
Evermind, the first caregiver-friendly senior monitoring system. If you can plug-in a surge protector and use Facebook, Evermind is easy.
Wax, an app that allows extreme athletes to compete with one another by completing tricks and challenges.
Westcrete, which converts traditional building plans into a prefabricated formwork that is shipped to jobsite, erected & pumped full of concrete.
Rental Kharma, a destination where Good Owners and Good Renters find Trust, Transparency and Simplicity for their home rental relationships.
PhotoRankr, a new site for serious amateur photography.
OurVinyl, which allows users to discover new music through video They want to be the modern day MTV minus the re-runs.
Talkapolis, microcasts new media (mainly talk format) targeted at local markets and distributed on mobile smartphones and smart TV devices.
The JSF 2012 program will accelerate the growth of these ten startups, which will add to Jumpstart Foundry’s proven track record of success. Like other accelerators around the country, JSF measures its success based on the number of graduates that are able to raise capital or boot-strap operations without additional capital. Over the two first years of the program, JSF has achieved a very strong 62% success rate. Eight alumni have raised follow-on capital and are building operations. These results combined with multiple years of experience, deep mentor pool and affiliation with TechStars position Jumpstart Foundry as one of the best accelerators in the country.
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About Jumpstart Foundry
Jumpstart Foundry (JSF) accelerates the growth of fledgling tech-oriented businesses. Started in 2010, JSF is a formal, mentor-driven 14-week business acceleration program held over the summer months – with the goal of launching successful companies, prime for funding, at an Investor Day in late August.
Those startup companies – keying on the areas of healthcare IT, data systems and social engagement tools – will derive resources and guidance from a hand-selected group of mentors who bring a wealth of experience from a variety of fields. Jumpstart Foundry also enjoys key partnerships with the Nashville Entrepreneur Center and the TechStars Affiliate Network.
For more information, please visit http://jumpstartfoundry.com.
Contact: Vic Gatto vic AT jumpstartfoundry DOT com or Tel: (615) 665-3818
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Posted on May 3, 2012
Categories: News
Tags: 2012, Contigo, Evermind, Jamplify, JSF, JSF 2012, Jumpstart Foundry, Nashville Entrepreneur Center, Nashville technology startups, OKDJ.fm, OurVinyl.Tv, PhotoRankr, Rental Kharma, startups, Talkapolis, The Skillery, Wax, Westcrete