The Chicago Hardware Cup event was one of six in the U.S., with others taking place in the cities of Pittsburgh, Boston, Washington D.C., Austin and Los Angeles. The winners of each event will take part in the international finals on April 18 in Pittsburgh. This will feature finalists from countries such as Japan, South Korea, Israel and more.
The grand prize for the international event is $50,000.
In addition to the pitches, there were two startup “flash talks”, which were keynote discussions from the founders of startups Imagiroo (Lily Born) and SimpleSense (Eric Kanagy).
As two successful startups, each founder discussed his or her chronological journey toward success.
(Click here to read more about Imagiroo, and click here to read more about SimpleSense!)
Bess Goodfellow, an analyst at Hyde Park Angels who served as a judge for the event, said it was interesting to see the variety of startups that pitched.
“This was a great opportunity for me to learn about how the presented IoT solutions can impact different industries,” Bess said. “I’m always happy to support the local tech community, and this event was a great way to help these startups maximize their potential toward reaching success.”
Alphalab Gear Coordinator Leah Simoncelli says the Connectory environment complimented the goals of the event, fostering innovation and creating connections to build out the IoT ecosystem.
“My goal for this event is to have terrific networking and stimulate ideation, and the Connectory is in line with that vision,” Leah said. “This environment is welcoming to all members of the tech community, setting the perfect stage for these startups to dream big and receive the proper support to make their dreams a reality.”