WHAT:
Start Co. will host its second annual event at the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest this year, building on last year’s success to invite sponsors and startup enthusiasts from across North America to attend the Memphis-centric event. In addition to local partners, mentors and accelerator teams, Start Co. is expecting national partners such as Softlayer (an IBM company), LaunchTN, the Global Accelerator Network, PayPal_Braintree and Amazon Web Services to attend the “Start Q” event.
- The weekend will kick off Thursday, May 14, with office hours at the Start Lab. Startups will have the opportunity to interact with and learn from Start Co. national mentors and partners, and members of AutoZone’s IT team will be training the teams on software, application development and design.
- Following office hours May 14 – 15, the teams will meet on the river for a barbecue lunch and a pitch competition hosted by Tech Cocktail, where selected startups will have 60 seconds to pitch their businesses to partners and sponsors. More information on the competition, including a link to register, can be found at co/event/memphis-mixer-startup-showcase. Competitors may encourage friends and family to vote for their team for the “Readers’ Choice” award May 4 – 14.
- The “Memphis’ Hottest Startup” grand prize award will be presented Friday and is determined by the combined scores of a panel of judges and an on-site text audience vote. Winners of both awards will qualify for Tech Cocktail’s National Startup Competition in Las Vegas and the winning team will also earn a slot in Start Co.’s annual trip to San Francisco, all expenses paid.
Start Q is an invitation-only event and more information can be found at startq2015.com. Media should contact Liz Hamilton at (901) 260-4168 or lhamilton@archermalmo.com to register and receive a media pass.
WHEN/WHERE:
Office Hours (May 14 – 15, 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.)
Start Co.
88 Union Ave., 2nd Floor
Tech Cocktail Pitch Competition (May 14 – 15, 2 – 3 p.m.)
Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest
Hospitality Booth #R020 (north side of entrance facing Riverside Dr.)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Start Co. is a nationally recognized nonprofit 501(c)(3) venture development organization based in Memphis, Tennessee, that relentlessly builds founders and companies, promoting entrepreneurship for everyone with a focus on digital startups. Start Co. is a member of the Global Accelerator Network and aims to advance Memphis’ economic growth through entrepreneurship. The organization is supported by partners including archer>malmo, Baker Donelson, The Marston Group, Mosaik Solutions and Softlayer (an IBM company). More information can be found at neverstop.co.