In 2015, finalist LiveAnswer placed in the competition thanks to its unified communication platform. Today, CEO Adam Boalt is planning his next startup. I spoke to him about his new company and how he was able to build on his 2015 Innovate! and Celebrate win.
Celebrate 2015: “Tremendous Exposure”
Adam first discussed the company that landed him the 2015 finalist honor. The small business call center platform, which they called LiveAnswer, didn’t have a huge amount of traffic at first. When they entered the 2015 Innovate! and Celebrate competition, they placed first at the regional level and third at the main conference. Without the conference and the “tremendous exposure,” Adam added, the company’s success would have taken much longer. They didn’t get the benefits of winning, but the LiveAnswer sale paid off, giving Adam the funds to prepare a new company, GovWorks.
Party Like It’s 1999
Remember that non-compete? It’s up on the very first day of 2018, which is when Adam gets back to his basics, helping streamline government paperwork. He’s in the planning stage now, and has an interesting story about how he settled on a name. On January 2nd, the GovWorks team will revive the 1999-era title for their paperwork-streamlining business. “So, I thought it would be a fun idea to buy the rights and name all our properties as ‘divisions of GovWorks,’ making GovWorks a platform that stores all your personal information to let us procure a variety of documents on your behalf, sometimes in minutes.”
Celebrate’s Winners Are Tackling Diversity in Tech…
But what about the winners of the last few Innovate! and Celebrate conferences? The official 2015 Startup of the Year has been getting a lot of attention in 2017, thanks to the focus of its efforts: Blendoor‘s software aims to cut down on unconscious bias during the job interview process through inclusive recruiting and analytics. The job matching app hides candidates’ names and photos to sidestep biases hirers don’t know they have. Stephanie Lampkin, founder and CEO of Blendoor, told TechCo last year that her company’s Innovate! and Celebrate win drove major tech companies to participate in their beta — they now have 57, with a waiting list that’s pushing 450. In 2017, Blendoor released a ranking of Silicon Valley companies’ diversity efforts — a hot topic issue finally gaining more attention following news of harassment at companies like Uber.
…And Expanding Unique B2B Niches
Meanwhile, 2016 winner ShearShare has rapidly hit several growth milestones since winning Startup of the Year less than a full year ago. The startup connects salon and barbershop owners with individual beauty operators — the individuals can run their business without committing to an expensive location, and the location’s owners can fill unused salon suites and stations. Initially from Texas, the company’s founders Courtney and Tye Caldwell moved to Silicon Valley after wrapping up their 500 Startups class. In January, TechCo checked back in, reporting that the duo had landed a partnership with salon suites franchise Salons By JC to “onboard their franchisees across more than 20 states.” Clearly, they picked the right B2B niche to lend their impressive talents towards.
The Future Is Limitless in 2017
Want your startup to wind up on the same path to success as Adam, Blendoor or ShearShare? This year, Innovate! and Celebrate’s showcase of Startup of the Year semifinalists is growing to 100, up from just 50 in years past — meaning startups will have twice the chances to get in the running. Get on the radar of tech leaders, investors and influencers and learn more here! Buy your Innovate! and Celebrate tickets here
