Startup Rounds will be holding its “Final Showcase” on January 27th in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The event will hit the Microsoft NERD Center to compete for $30,000 in cash plus “over $100,000” in resources. The event is described as a hybrid business model of crowdfunding and business incubation. Startup Rounds is the creation of Dan Sandland who founded JobAware. Cruise on over to the Startup Rounds site today and you can see the products that are trending – based of off sales. The sales “contribute to a startups scores” and thus influence the success of the company.
Sandland explained the process;
“Startup Rounds is involved with a lot of interesting and diverse startups. The top ten demonstrate qualities that are important for any successful product or service. I’ve noticed that they tend to have a clear and concise message that communicates unique value. They have authentic passion and excitement about what they’re creating; and they focus intensely on niche markets. It feels good to have created a platform that can help these startups get the resources they need to grow.”
For startups that have participated so far, the platform has said to already have connected them with customers — providing working capital and market validation — and facilitated deal flow by connecting ventures with investors. Past winners have gone on to succeed in other more established accelerators such as MassChallenge, and Y-Combinator.
“We looked at existing competitions for new or aspiring ventures and saw that the decisions were in the hands of a few people that don’t necessarily see the value of the products for the current consumer market,” said Co-founder Paul Hammond. “We are creating not only a funding space, but a platform where customers are empowered to be the judges, essentially democratizing business competitions to let the people who use these products decide on the most deserving winners,” he adds.
“Unlike other crowdfunding, or crowd-supported platforms, we look to place the focus on supporting entrepreneurs who seek real business growth, exposure and credibility,” Sandland says. “Any business can apply to participate in our wide range of categories.”
Startup Rounds states they are taking a “fresh” approach to the funding process;
“The traditional crowdfunding sites are only skimming the top of the invaluable possibilities for businesses that these types of platforms offer,” says Hammond. “Startup Rounds looks to promote business growth for new ventures and create opportunities for customers to discover innovative products that they would otherwise never see,” he added.