Tech incubator
Dreamit Ventures has announced its Fall 2012 Philadelphia lineup. Moving three blocks up the street to 3701 Market Street but still at the
University City Science Center, Managing Partner Karen Griffith Gryga says Dreamit will be leveraging its proximity to the Science Center's Quorum.
"There is a great deal of programming planned for this class," says Gryga. "In addition to the one-on-one mentoring that we establish for the companies based on their particular needs and the frequent meetings with the DreamIt partners, we have speakers from leading VC firms, leading industry players and operational experts as well as workshops on technologies and operational components. We have investor office hours with ventures capitalists from across the country as well as angel investors."
Gryga places a high value on accelerator participants' interactions with each other,and reports that Dreamit will hold more regular social events to add some fun to the mix.
Speaking of fun, this year, recipes and bridesmaids dresses are the focus of two companies. "The entrepreneurial team is the critical decision area and less so the idea because we know that with the right team we can always refine or reformulate a market/customer centric solution. Over the years, we have had many consumer facing opportunities and, in fact, had both Bazaart and TopShelf in the New York program this summer and KeepRecipes the New York summer before."
As in years past, the Dreamit teams come to Philadelphia from locations worldwide. Five of the companies are part of the DreamIt Access program, a dedicated effort to launch 15 minority-led startups over the next 12 months.
Comcast Ventures is an investor in the DreamIt Access program. Here's a detailed listing of this year's companies.
The 14 startups in the program are:
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Altair Prep, Philadelphia: Performance-based homework platform that analyzes learning trends and customize curricula
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Applique, New York, NY: Drag-and-drop ease for building iPhone and iPad Apps
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Betterific, Washington, DC: Crowdsourcing platform aims to improve products and brands by allowing consumers to submit ideas and suggestions
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brandREP.me, Los Angeles, CA: Crowdsources brand marketing campaigns to student
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Brideside, Chicago, IL: Oline boutique for bridesmaids dresses.
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CallGrader, Denver, CO: Marketing analytics and rich data for phone calls
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Charlie, Chicago, IL: Mobile app provides vital contact information whenever you need it
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CloudConfidence, Philadelphia: Platform for analytics-driven cloud monitoring and management
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FlagTap, San Francisco, CA: On-site rewards that are easy to manage
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mor.sl, Washington, DC: Recipe recommendation platform that personalizes based on tastes, cooking skill and allergies
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Peeractive, Sydney, Australia: Social commerce technology with real-time analytics
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The Whoot, New York, NY: Short-term social planning
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Tripkno, New York, NY: Travel guide incorporates social and e-commerce to help people find things to do
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Zenkars, Philadelphia: Online used car retailer
Source: Karen Griffith Gryga, Dreamit Ventures
Writer: Sue Spolan