Overview of 2013 and 2014

Get in the Ring:
The North American Startup Clash
2014
Overview
“Get in the Ring” is a global startup pitch competition to bring the world’s most promising
entrepreneurs together with those who can best help them succeed — and to inspire others
to start their entrepreneurial journeys.
Founded in 2009 by the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship in the Netherlands, Get in the Ring
is a unique, high-impact experience in which ambitious entrepreneurs battle head-to-head to
secure growth opportunities, potential clients, and relationships with those who can help them
succeed.
In November 2013, the Kauffman Foundation brought Get in the Ring to the United States for the
first time as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week.
2013 U.S. Competition
During a three-month process of evaluating both written responses and video
submissions, 353 applicants from across the U.S. were eventually narrowed down to
eight American finalists.
The title fight came on Nov. 18 in Kansas City in an exciting primetime event. Through
several fast-paced “clashes,” the finalists literally stepped in a boxing ring to pitch their
startups to an esteemed panel of judges who evaluated them on criteria such as team
composition, revenue model, business plan, and more.
2013 U.S. Highlights
More than 200 people attended the standing-room-only event. An additional 300 to
400 people viewed the live webcast, with more than 1,300 views of the online video
since.
Kansas City Public Television developed a 30-minute primetime program dedicated
to the event.
More than 1,200 tweets used #GITRUSA, which was the No. 1 trending hashtag on
Twitter in the Kansas City metro area during the event.
2013 U.S. Prizes & Sponsors
Along with the title of U.S. Champion, the winner received $10,000 cash and an expense-paid
trip to the Netherlands; the First Runner-Up received $5,000 cash, and the “Fan Favorite”
received a $1,000 Apple gift card.
Sponsors included Sprint, Ringside Boxing, KCPT, and Venture Beat.
2013 U.S. Judges
Marc Eckō
American serial
entrepreneur and
fashion guru
Lisa Gansky
Author of The Mesh
and chief instigator
of Mesh Labs
Jeff Hoffman
Former founder and
CEO of Priceline.com,
uBid.com and
ColorJar
Matthew Rubel
Turnaround CEO
and leader of
several national
consumer brands
Denmark West
Previous president
of digital media at
BET Networks
2013 Media Coverage
Going the Distance
American champion Toby Rush — founder of EyeVerify in Kansas City, Kan. — traveled to
Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to compete against the best startups from around the world
… and won! He fondly refers to the experience as “The Olympics of Entrepreneurship.”
What’s New in 2014
In 2014, the competition expands to seven global regions: North America, South America,
Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, and Southern Europe.
The new North American region enables Get in the Ring to expand to Canada and Mexico.
All three of the North American countries will hold their own national competitions,
supported by sponsors.
The Kauffman Foundation is proud to have been selected as host for the new North
American competition, which will be held at the historic Midland Theatre in downtown
Kansas City, Missouri.
Entrepreneur Criteria
To be eligible to apply for the competition, North American entrepreneurs need to meet the
following criteria:
1. The startup is not more than 5 years old and is based in the U.S., Canada, or Mexico.
2. The startup is a scalable and innovative business idea or model.
3. The founder is proficient in the English language.
4. The entrepreneur must be able to legally travel to Rotterdam, Netherlands, expensepaid, to participate in the final event on Nov. 21, 2014 (i.e., he or she has a passport
or the necessary visa or other paperwork required for citizens from his or her home
country to travel to Rotterdam).
5. The entrepreneur is seeking funding that is available if he or she wins the North
American competition and his or her startup is determined to be worthy of funding by
the investor judges at the global finals.
Key 2014 Dates
July 1
Online application opens for U.S. startups
Aug. 15
Online application deadline for U.S. startups
September
U.S. semi-finalists narrowed from 20 to 5
Oct. 10
15 North American finalists (5 per country) announced
Nov. 6
15 North American finalists compete in Kansas City, narrowing the field to 8
Nov. 7
8 finalists compete to crown a North American champion
Nov. 21
North American winner competes in international finals in Rotterdam
Become a Champion
We invite you to participate in Get in the Ring: The North American Startup Clash. Secure a
ringside seat and support North America’s most promising entrepreneurs.
• NOMINATE an American, Canadian, or Mexican entrepreneur.
• SPONSOR the 2014 North American Get in the Ring finals.
• RECOMMEND a judge for the preliminary and final rounds.
More Information
Details about the international competition can be found at www.GetInTheRing.nl.
Information about the North American regional competition is available at
www.Kauffman.org/GITR.
Please contact Neil Neumeyer (nneumeyer@kauffman.org) or Katie Baker (kbaker@kauffman.org)
at the Kauffman Foundation with specific questions.
THE
STARTUP
CLASHCLASH
THEAMERICAN
AMERICAN
STARTUP
UNITED
STATES
UNITED
STATES
Kauffman Foundation
Kauffman Foundation
NOVEMBER 18, 2013
TONIGHT’S COMPETITORS >>
The eight entrepreneurs verbally sparring in the ring tonight
represent the most promising startups in the United States.
Having emerged as the finalists from among 283 initial
applicants, these startups represent seven states and multiple
industries. They are ready to deliver tonight’s knockout pitches!
DRAZIL FOODS
MANA NUTRITION
Drazil Foods produces Drazil Tea, the first ready-to-drink herbal
tea for children. Drazil teas are naturally caffeine-free, rich in
antioxidants, infused with fruit juices, and a healthy alternative
to sugary kids’ drinks. A realistic option for addressing childhood
obesity, Drazil Tea competes in a large and growing beverage
category. The management team of the woman-owned business
is experienced in the beverage and consumer packaged goods
industries and is represented in grocery by food broker Acosta.
Drazil launched in 2013 in select Northern California stores and on
Amazon. The product line expanded to Southern California and the
Pacific Northwest in September.
To combat malnutrition, MANA Nutrition built a factory in a
Georgia peanut field to make Ready to Use Therapeutic Food
(RUTF), a nutrition-rich peanut butter. RUTF comes in 500-calorie
packets, and three daily doses over six weeks is a curative dose
for 94 percent of the malnourished children it treats. The firm
seeks to double the global budget for RUTF and save more lives
by launching a calorie exchange, the Calorie Cloud, to address two
global health emergencies: obesity and malnutrition. The idea is to
harvest excessive calories in the developed world and give them to
kids in developing countries who desperately need them.
EDINA, MINNESOTA
CHRISTINE WHEELER spent her career in the
consumer packaged goods industry, including
roles at Procter & Gamble and Church & Dwight
before she founded Drazil Foods. She credits her
success to a focus on consumers, strong analytical
thinking, passion for business, and tenacity. Earlier
in her career, her adventurous spirit led her to
work as a management consultant in Warsaw,
Poland, where she helped restructure state-owned enterprises and,
later, to join an Internet startup during the dot.com craze. Christine
received her MBA from the Wharton School of Business and BS
from Northwestern University. She enjoys spending time with her
husband and four children hiking, biking, and traveling.
EYEVERIFY
KANSAS CITY, KANSAS
EyeVerify is the exclusive provider of the Eyeprint Verification
software solution available for Android and iOS mobile devices.
Eyeprint Verification is a highly accurate biometric system that
delivers password-free, secure authentication at a glance. The
unique, patented technology uses the existing camera on any
smartphone or tablet to image and pattern-match the blood
vessels in the whites of the eye, capturing an Eyeprint. The Eyeprint
is the most accurate, cost-effective eye biometric, with results as
accurate as iris scanning and more accurate than the fingerprint.
TOBY RUSH is a serial entrepreneur with thirteen
years of mobile and wireless experience. As
founder and CEO of two mobile ventures, his
expertise in imaging, sensors, and mobility gives
him early insight into the trends and technologies
impacting consumers and the enterprise. His
passion is finding elegant solutions to complex
problems. Prior to his two startups, EyeVerify
and Rush Tracking Systems, Toby led product development and
quality assurance for SAT Corp., a venture-funded mobile software
company. Toby also started and led the MobilEdge practice group
for BSI consulting. He started his career with Accenture deploying
SAP enterprise systems. He earned his degree in mechanical
engineering at Kansas State University.
WE THANK OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS
MATTHEWS, NORTH CAROLINA
MARK MOORE is the founder of MANA Nutrition
and the Calorie Cloud startup concept. In its
four years as a startup, MANA has garnered $12
million in investment and fed 500,000 children
with therapeutic food via UNICEF and USAID.
Prior to MANA, Mark worked in eastern Uganda,
serving as a rural community development worker
and missionary. Returning to the United States,
he earned a master’s degree at Georgetown University, was a
national finalist for the prestigious White House Fellows program,
and served as a Legislative Fellow and Africa Specialist in the U.S.
Senate. Prior to founding MANA, Mark co-founded Kibo Group, a
development organization that houses numerous projects in Africa.
POPVOX
REDWOOD CITY, CALIFORNIA
POPVOX is a civic engagement platform that meshes real-time
legislative data with users’ personal stories and sentiments. POPVOX
curates and delivers public input to government in a format tailored
to prompt policy decisions. Individuals can find information about
bills pending in Congress and see what advocacy groups, trade
associations, and other organizations have to say on the issues. They
can then write an informed message to Congress, which is delivered
to the appropriate congressional office electronically. Launched
in 2011, POPVOX has more than 350,000 users and has delivered
more than 3 million constituent opinions to Congress.
MARCI HARRIS is a former congressional staffer,
non-practicing lawyer, and founder and CEO of
POPVOX. Originally from Tennessee, Marci led
rebuilding efforts in Jackson, Tenn., following a
devastating tornado in 2004. She earned her J.D. at
the University of Memphis, LL.M. at the American
University Washington College of Law, and worked
on Capitol Hill covering tax, trade, and health for a
senior Ways and Means committee member. Marci was recognized
as one of Fast Company’s Top 100 Most Creative People in Business,
received the Tribeca Film Festival Award for Creative Disruption, was
named a DC “Tech Titan” by Washingtonian magazine, and was one
of the legal innovators in the 2013 “Fastcase 50.”
REPP
TRAVEFY
REPP is an identity and background verification and management
platform for individuals and online service providers. Each
REPP Profile is created and fully controlled by its owner, giving
that individual the ability to own and validate his or her online
information. REPP’s patent-pending process provides industryleading, accurate information, and the system allows each user
the ability to provide context and confirm the results of each check
and verification. Users sign up for REPP with their name, birth date,
and address. The website uses public records to generate a quiz
to verify a user’s identity. Owners can share their REPP Profiles for
uses such as online dating and online-initiated transactions.
A free online travel planner created to solve the coordination
headaches of group travel, Travefy helps users get organized, find hotel
deals, and manage group expenses. Users can connect with friends
across social networks to choose dates and locations and collaborate
on details through a private trip wall. The platform’s metasearch
engine connects with more than 300,000 hotels to find deals and
conduct direct hotel-bidding services for large groups. Travefy can also
track group spending and settle the final bill with one-click money
collection via its companion mobile app. Travefy released its full, open
beta product in 2013 and has received numerous honors.
CINCINNATI, OHIO
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
MICHAEL BERGMAN started REPP after
learning that his wife and co-founder tried to run
a background check on him prior to their first
date. Two years later, they were married. Seeing
the need for a better mechanism for personal
information ownership, REPP was brought to
life at The Brandery accelerator. Michael earned
his B.S.B.A. at Washington University in St. Louis
and his J.D. at Emory University School of Law. He has a history of
successful product development, including creating and writing
A.P. U.S. History Flashcards for Barron’s Educational Series. Prior to
founding REPP, Michael worked at LPK, an independent branding
agency, for such clients as Procter & Gamble and Kraft. ST. TERESA MEDICAL
DAVID D. CHAIT is the co-founder and CEO
of Travefy. He is also a regular contributor to
Entrepreneur.com. David previously served as the
senior policy advisor to Administrator Karen G.
Mills at the U.S. Small Business Administration
(SBA). At the SBA, David focused on the small
business economic and credit environment and
international trade. Prior to joining the SBA, he
worked as a consultant for McKinsey & Company. He graduated
magna cum laude from Columbia College with a BA in economicspolitical science and earned his MBA with Dean’s Honors from
Columbia Business School. When not working, he enjoys riding his
bike and cooking with his wife, Amanda.
WEESPRING
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
MAPLE GROVE, MINNESOTA
St. Teresa Medical is a medical-device manufacturing company
commercializing a new, patent-pending, proprietary, disruptive,
nanoscale hemostatic technology called FASTCLOT®. It stops
bleeding more quickly and has less potential for adverse patient
side effects than current products. FASTCLOT® combines a nanofiber
spun-dextran delivery system with two human-derived clot-forming
proteins, thrombin and fibrinogen. When applied, the dressing rapidly
dissolves, accelerating the formation of a robust clot over a bleeding
injury. The company has performed twelve pre-clinical studies to
prove the technology, and two FASTCLOT® products are being sold for
veterinary use on dogs and horses, with excellent results.
PHILIP A. MESSINA co-founded St. Teresa Medical
in 2010. During more than twenty-five years of
management and operating experience in earlystage medical device and life science businesses,
he gained broad experience in regulatory matters,
licensing, royalty and distribution agreements,
and M&A transactions. Philip previously was
president and COO of Martell Biosystems; chief
operating officer of Gel-Del Technologies/Cosmeta Corp.; president
and COO of UroMetrics, Inc.; and chief executive officer of Life
Signs Corporation. As president and CEO of Pulse Trend, Inc., he
negotiated the sale of the company, providing a significant return to
investors. Philip earned his BS from Northeastern Illinois University.
weeSpring helps new and expecting parents collect advice from
friends about what they need for their baby. The concept is to take
a behavior that’s already happening – trading advice with friends
about must-haves and don’t-buys – and brings it online. Parents love
to give their insights into the $50 billion baby and kids market, and
weeSpring provides a platform to share what they’re purchasing for
their own families. The next generation of user-generated content,
weeSpring amplifies word-of-mouth recommendations and gives
consumers a quick view into their friends’ advice, whether they’re
shopping online or in a store using a mobile device.
ALLYSON DOWNEY once walked into a Babies
‘R’ Us store, was overwhelmed, and burst into
tears. Now her startup, weeSpring, helps new and
expecting parents collect advice from their friends
about what they need for their baby. Allyson’s
entrepreneurial spirit dates back to a face-painting
business in elementary school, and it’s carried her
through roles with Random House, Eliot Spitzer,
and Credit Suisse. Allyson has an MBA from Columbia Business
School, an MFA from Columbia University’s School of the Arts, and
a BA from Colby College. She serves on the board of Democracy
Prep Public Schools and lives in New York City with her husband
and weeSpring co-founder, Jack, and their toddler.
SHARE IT SOCIALLY
We encourage you to share your excitement,
thoughts, insights, photos, and impressions of
tonight’s Get in the Ring U.S. action via social media
sites, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
#GITRUSA | @KauffmanFDN | #GEWKC | #GEW
TONIGHT’S JUDGES
MARC ECKO is an American serial entrepreneur.
He is the founder and Chief Creative Officer of
Marc Ecko Enterprises, a full-scale global fashion
and lifestyle company. His journey began in
the mid ‘80s, working from a makeshift design
studio in the garage of his parent’s Lakewood,
N.J., home. Since then, his company has grown
to include: *ecko Unltd, the leading young men’s
brand; Eckored, its female counterpart; Marc Ecko Cut & Sew, a
contemporary menswear line; Zoo York, the first and largest East
Coast action sport lifestyle brand; and Complex Media Network,
inclusive of Complex magazine. Marc is also founder of Artists &
Instigators, a venture innovation company.
LISA GANSKY is an entrepreneur, investor,
speaker, author of the bestselling book The Mesh:
Why the Future of Business is Sharing, and chief
instigator of Mesh Labs, a global directory for
the sharing economy. She works in the design of
new products, policies, services, partnerships, and
models in which “access” to goods, services, and
talent triumphs over “ownership” of them. Lisa
invests, advises, speaks, and writes on the topics of innovation,
collaboration and the Share Economy. As CEO, cofounder and
chairman of Ofoto, Lisa drew on her entrepreneurial spirit and
experience to develop the company into the leading global photosharing service. She was a cofounder and CEO of GNN, the first
commercial website, acquired by AOL in 1995.
JEFF HOFFMAN is partner and co-founder of
ColorJar, a company that specializes in positioning
strategy and creating custom websites and
apps. A serial entrepreneur and internationally
recognized innovator, Jeff has been a founder and
CEO in a number of startups and high growth
companies, including Priceline.com and uBid.
com. He serves on the International Advisory
TONIGHT’S EMCEE
JAMES DIGBY is cofounder of the
award-winning startup incubator
Rockstart Accelerator in Amsterdam, the
Netherlands. He has more than a decade
of entrepreneurial experience working
with startups in growing brand value and
product development. An experienced
speaker and emcee, Digby has been invited to a number
of colleges and organizations from London to Moscow
to speak about entrepreneurship and its impact on
regional economies.
Board of Global Entrepreneurship Week and works with the White
House, U.S. State Department, and U.S. Department of Commerce
to support business and economic growth initiatives worldwide.
Jeff recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the
Collegiate Entrepreneurship Organization for his contributions to
the field of entrepreneurship.
MATTHEW RUBEL is a turnaround CEO and
leader who has successfully led and transformed
companies into dynamic organizations, enabling
them to achieve growth, profitability, and
powerful global market presence. Matthew
currently is a private investor and Senior Advisor
to TPG Capital, the world’s largest private equity
firm. Throughout his career, Matthew has built
multiple retail and trend-related consumer brands. Most notably, he
reinvigorated Payless Shoe Source into one of Fast Company’s “50
Companies on the Move,” and built the company into Collective
Brands, encompassing six divisions, 5,000 stores, and multiple
brands generating $3.4 billion in 92 countries. His previous senior
leadership roles include Cole Haan, Revlon, JCrew, and Tommy
Hilfiger. In 2010, Matthew was an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of
the Year for the Midwest.
DENMARK WEST is a specialist within the
Operations team at K1 Investment Management,
a Los Angeles-based private equity firm investing
in high-growth private companies across North
America. He collaborates with K1’s portfolio
management teams in the areas of business
partnerships, operations and strategy. Denmark is
also an advisor to several startups and a frequent
speaker on digital media. He was previously an executive at Viacom
Media Networks, most recently as President of Digital Media at
BET Networks. Prior to that, he was Executive Vice President,
Operations, Global Digital Media for MTV Networks.
ENJOY GLOBAL
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
WEEK IN KANSAS CITY!
Thank you for attending “Get in the Ring: The
American Startup Clash.” After tonight’s action
concludes, we encourage you to explore the many
events and activities taking place across our city all
week long. View the full GEW-KC schedule at
www.kcsourcelink.com/gew-kc.
PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS
As of Sept. 3, 2013
1 Million Cups Cedar Rapids/Iowa City (IA)
1 Million Cups Denver (CO)
American Association of Community
Colleges Center for Workforce and
Economic Development (DC)
Anchorage Economic Development Corp.
(AK)
Arizona State University (AZ)
Astia (CA)
Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron
(OH)
Austin Technology Council (TX)
Bio Business Alliance (MN)
Bizdom (MI)
Brandery (OH)
Catawba Valley Community College (NC)
Center for Emerging Technologies (MO)
CODE2040 (CA)
The Collaborative (MN)
Coloft (CA)
Dallas Entrepreneur Center (TX)
Dream Big America (National)
Georgetown University (DC)
Groundwork LABS (NC)
Houston Community College (TX)
HUB Ventures (CA)
The Idea Village (LA)
Indian River State College (FL)
iTen (MO)
Kansas City Startup Village (KS/MO)
Kauffman Slingshot Group (National)
KCSourceLink (MO)
LA Cleantech Incubator (CA)
Launch Lab (MI)
Launch Tennessee (TN)
Launch Chapel Hill (NC)
Long Beach City College (CA)
Lorain County Community College (CA)
Minnesota Angel Network (MN)
Mississippi Development Authority (MS)
Mott Community College (MI)
National Association for Community
College Entrepreneurship (MA)
New York City Economic Development
Corporation (NY)
North Carolina Rural Economic Center,
Inc. (NC)
Nutrition Capital Network (CA)
Packard Place (NC)
Pipeline (KS/MO/NE)
The Research Triangle Park (NC)
Rocky Mountain Innosphere (CO)
Silicon Prairie News (NE)
Spark Lab KC (MO)
StartOut (National)
Startup Texas (TX)
StartX (CA)
Teach For America (National)
Tech Wildcatters (TX)
Think Big Partners (MO)
UA Center for Economic Development
(AK)
U.S. SourceLink (National)
Venture Hive (FL)
Women Innovate Mobile (NY)