Oct 27, 2020
On this episode of the Startup of the Year podcast, we talk
with Dawn Dickson-Akpoghene, the Founder & CEO of PopCom, which has developed software to
make kiosks and vending machines intelligent through data and
analytics at the point of purchase. PopCom uses facial recognition,
A.I, and blockchain technology to help retailers collect valuable
customer insights. We first met Dawn when she participated in the
Startup of the Year program with a company called Flat Out of Heels.
We also hear some segments from some of our Established Team
members. Rich Maloy of Established Ventures provides some tips for
our startup founder listeners during the “VC Minute.” Also, our
Director of Partnerships, Jacqui Dietrich, provides an update about
our Partner Programs and specifically discusses the
following:
- AFWERX SBIR Open Topics - Contracts worth up to $50K http://afwerxlearning.com/
- Centrepolis - Industry 4.0 Accelerator Program https://www.centrepolisaccelerator.com/Programs/Industry-4-0-Accelerator
- MassChallenge - Applications Open - https://masschallenge.org/
As mentioned in the episode, please join us for our upcoming
8th Annual Startup of the Year Summit which will be held online on
November 16-18. The Summit is a curated experience for emerging
founders, seasoned entrepreneurs, corporate innovation leads,
accelerators, and investors to build relationships that fuel
success. Summit is also the culmination of the 2020 Startup of the
Year competition, and attendees can expect some of the
following:
- The Top 100 Startups will compete for the 2020 Startup of the Year championship title.
- Up to $20K in potential investment from Established Ventures for one of the semifinalists.
- $10K non-diluted cash prize for a U.S. Veteran-led company from sponsor .US
- Curated connections for the Top 100 with investors and corporate leads.
- "Ask Me Anything" sessions with VCs, Corporate Leaders, and Seasoned Entrepreneurs.
- Opportunity to network with expert judges and mentors, such as Phil Nadel, Lesa Mitchell, Erica Minnihan, and more.
Also, at the summit we will be featuring a number of exciting
speakers including Tim Draper, venture capitalist and founder of
Draper Associates; entrepreneur and author Kara Goldin will discuss
her journey in starting Hint Water and her new book Undaunted;
entrepreneur Mike Evans will share his candid story behind starting
and taking GrubHub to IPO plus his new startup Fixer.com, and
forthcoming book Hangry; author and entrepreneur Rohit Bhargava
will share learnings from his latest book Non Obvious Mega Trends;
author Meredith Fineman will teach us tips from her new book Brag
Better; author Whitney Johnson will teach you how to Disrupt
Yourself, and more. Learn more about the Summit and register now
at: est.us/Summit2020
This year’s Summit will also highlight the special .US Veteran
Startup of the Year category. In partnership with .US, there will
be a $10,000 non-dilutive cash prize given to a startup founded by
a US Veteran, Spouse, or Dependent.
.US is offering our community a free .US domain offer. This is
a great opportunity for you to get your idea online - and have your
dream domain. You can find more info at: https://soty.link/dotusplus
Thank you for listening, and as always, please check out the
Established website and subscribe to the newsletter
at www.est.us
Checkout Startup of the Year at www.startupofyear.com/
Subscribe to the Startup of the Year Daily Deal
Flow: www.startupofyear.com/daily-dealflow
Subscribe to the Startup of the Year podcast: http://startupoftheyear.libsyn.com/
Subscribe to the Established YouTube Channel: https://soty.link/ESTYouTube
***
Startup of the Year helps diverse,
emerging startups, founding teams, and entrepreneurs push their
company to the next level. We are a competition, a global
community, and a resource.
Startup of the Year is also a year-long program that searches
the country for a geographically diverse set of startups from all
backgrounds and pulls them together to compete for the title of
Startup of the Year.
The program includes a number of in-person and virtual events,
including our annual South By Southwest startup pitch event and
competition. All of which culminate at our annual Startup of the
Year Summit, where the Startup of the Year winner is announced,
along with an opportunity at a potential investment.
Established is a consultancy focused
on helping organizations with innovation, startup, and
communication strategies. It is the power behind Startup of the
Year. Created by the talent responsible for building the
Tech.Co brand (acquired by an international publishing company), we
are leveraging decades of experience to help our collaborators best
further (or create) their brand & accomplish their most important
goals. Connect with us on Twitter - @EstablishedUs and Facebook
- facebook.com/established.us/.