Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA) announced its Summer 2017 class of 11 startups recently. Over the next four months these companies will be groomed at ERA’s office in Midtown before going primetime at demo day in September. The startups will receive $100K in funding, mentorship from close to 300 industry professionals, and a host of services as they are poised to scale their businesses in the heart of the city. This marks the 13th class in ERA’s tenure as one of the top accelerators in the city. Its portfolio companies have gone on to raise over $220M in funding after graduating with an aggregate market cap exceeding $1B. Past graduates that were acquired include NumberFire, Public Stuff, ParkingPanda, and Admittedly.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE 11 STARTUPS IN ERA’S SUMMER 2017 CLASS
Convessa
Founded in Austin in 2015 by Nik Bhattacharya and Dan McCafferty, Convessa is an AI platform for the that allows for conversational user experiences across voice (voicebots), messaging (chatbots), and embedded apps (appbots). The company’s platform is showcased through its first product – Mastermind Skill, an app that allows users to control their phones using Alexa with just voice.
Immersive Systems
Founded by Jason Simmons and Sandra Smith, Immersive Systems is a software platform that allows for the creation of storytelling and data applications for mobile, multi screen, and AR/VR. The company’s first app, HOOPS! Combines stats, visualization, multimedia, and social components for those interested in sports.
This company seems to be an offshoot of a previous venture called Gradient Labs founded out of Pittsburgh.
MobilePhire
Founded in Virginia in 2015 by Chebem Chukwu, Michael Zhao, and Michael Tremer, MobilePhire is an enterprise focused platform that allows for mobile data management through analytics and control, providing cost savings the employers. Without ever installing anything on the device, the platform allows employers to cap data usage, restrict content, and specify access times.
The company had previously raised $250K prior to ERA from Accelerprise, Center for Innovative Technology, and Right Side Capital Management and was in Accelerprise Accelerator’s 3rd cohort in 2016.
Tire Agent
Founded by Jared Kugel and Brandon Amey, Tire Agent is an aggregator powered by search for tires and wheels that provides the best pricing options – think the Kayak for tires and wheels. The platform also features a recommendation engine based on a number of criterion to ensure that the consumer is making the correct purchasing decision. The company will be launching its platform in a few days.
BasePair
Founded in 2013 by Amit Sinha, Basepair is a web based platform for next generation sequencing for scientists. Traditional sequencing methods are costly and take a long time. For example, the Human Genome Project took over 10 years to complete at a cost that approached $3B. Basepair’s technology allows scientists to complete several workflows in an hour and pay per sample analyzed. The platform is already being used at a number of highly respected institutions including Memorial Sloan Kettering and Harvard Medical School.
Everywear
Founded in 2014 in New York by Brand Holley, Everywear is a platform that drives personalized recommendations for ecommerce applications through machine learning. The company previously raised two rounds, prior to joining ERA, from investors that include Social Starts, Working Capital Labs, and private individuals
PCB:NG
Founded in 2014 in Brooklyn, PC:BG is a manufacturing service that provides custom electronics in a matter of days. Leveraging software in the manufacturing process, the company is able to reduce labor costs and time to production through its visual ordering process.
The company raised $485K in funding in 2015 from SeedInvest and Neu Venture Capital.
Protrakr
Founded in 2014 by Joseph Leiva in Washington DC, ProTrakr is a cloud-based project management, collaboration, and tracking platform for the construction industry that focuses on cost control, revenue monitoring, change order processing, and time in a an easy to use solution. The company raised an undisclosed amount of funding in 2014 shortly after its founding.
KidzToPros
Founded by Google and Apple alum Pooja Shah and Shane Fernandes in Fremont, KidztoPros is a marketplace for after school activities, structured recesess, and private coaching. Both parents and educational institutions can use the platform for scheduling, payment, evaluation, and collaboration.
Molo
Founded by Lucas Isola and Rocko Stojiljkovic in Long Island City, Molo is a software for the management of marinas, boat yards, and yacht clubs. The platform centralizes the various moving parts within a marina’s operations including managing customers, vessels, slip usage, reservations, service, and sales. The platform also features an accounting function with its integration with Xero, designed specifically for the needs of marina owners. The pricing model is based on number of slips and starts at $199 per month.
Bonbouton
Founded by Linh Le, a PhD in Chemical Engineering, Bonbouton is a smart clothes platform that uses its patented grapheme thermal sensor to provide vitals from sensors that can be embedded in the textiles used to manufacture clothing. Rather than focus on designing and selling the smart clothing, the company is focused on providing the infrastructure to brands and fashion designers to integrate into their collections. The platform has a number of “applets” available for various monitoring needs and its open API allows for the creation of new applets that need not be related to health.
Bonbouton was a semi-finalist at Google Solve for X in 2015.
