Start-ups compete for $10,000 at Wildfire Demo Day

EVANSTON - In a rare public event at The Garage -- Northwestern University’s hub for student entrepreneurship and innovation -- 12 student teams will pitch their startup ideas to a panel of judges, competing for a prize pool of $10,000 at the 2017 Summer Wildfire Demo Day. 

• When: Aug. 24, 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• Where: The Garage, 2311 Campus Drive, Suite 2300, Evanston

Demo Day is open to the public and the Northwestern community. Food and drinks will be provided. RSVP on The Garage website.

Demo Day will be streamed live on The Garage Facebook page as well as online at TheGarage.NU/DDLive.

Teams presenting at this year’s competition will address a wide variety of topics, from green energy and virtual reality to empowering women-owned businesses. Read descriptions of all the competing teams below.

The first prize winner will take home a $4,000 grand prize; second place takes $3,000; third place takes $2,000; and the audience, both in-person and online, will vote for a fan-favorite team, which will earn a $1,000 prize.

Voting takes place online at TheGarage.NU/vote.

Demo Day is the culmination of Wildfire, The Garage’s summer pre-accelerator program, which aims to develop students as both leaders and founders by introducing new ways of thinking and problem solving.

2017 Competition teams:

BOSSY: Connects socially conscious travelers with local, female business owners, facilitating ethical traveling and purchasing while empowering women worldwide

Community Currency: A 501(c)(3)-incorporated non-profit that repurposes leftover foreign currency from international airport travelers, changing the lives of underprivileged children by funding local charities

Eden: A social music streaming, discovery and messaging platform that uses analytics to identify and track influencers and quantify their commercial value to bands

Gulu: A peer-to-peer platform that helps college application mentees in China find the perfect mentors

Bundles of Health: Bundles of Health believes the new mom deserves more than she’s asking for, and that it takes a village to raise a child, giving your favorite mom-to-be the gift of health and happiness, time and peace of mind.

HotPlate: An app that helps diners decide what to order at a restaurant by allowing users to rate individual items and to connect and see friends’ ratings

Local: Connects students interested in earning money with community members interested in reducing the recurring costs associated with homeownership while synonymously engaging the youth to complement their lives

Mogo: A social network that enhances the world of “viral video challenges” by creating an interactive, competitive and socially aware platform for users

Ori HD: The world’s first designer for a true functional and intelligent mask that makes clean air endless

Pedal Cell: Addresses the alternative energy crisis through convenient and powerful measures, starting with the ubiquitous bicycle

ShareVR: Connects virtual reality players and their experiences to social media with easy video creation and sharing integration

Unruled: A sustainable notebook for creative thinkers that empowers users to break free from conventional structures and unearth their minds’ creative potential

For more information on 2017 Wildfire Summer Demo Day, visit The Garage at Northwestern’s events page.