TC Early Stage 2021: Marketing & Fundraising Pitch-Off

TC Early Stage 2021: Day Two – Marketing and Fundraising

The second day of TC Early Stage 2021, focused on Marketing and Fundraising, has begun! Yesterday proved to be exceptionally insightful and productive. We trust attendees gained valuable knowledge, practical strategies for immediate implementation, and forged connections with fellow entrepreneurs and industry professionals.

Important Note: Secure your ticket and participate in today’s primary event (details below).

Today’s agenda centers around the pitch competition. Ten early-stage companies, carefully selected by the TechCrunch team, will compete for the attention of a distinguished panel of venture capital judges. These judges include Ben Sun from Primary Venture Partners, Leah Solivan of Fuel Capital, and Shardul Shah from Index Ventures.

Each participating team will have a concise five-minute window to present their company, business model, and innovative concepts. This will be followed by a question-and-answer session with the judges. The winning startup will receive a featured article on TechCrunch.com, a year-long subscription to Extra Crunch, and a complimentary Founder Pass to TechCrunch Disrupt this autumn.

Attending Disrupt, Early Stage, or any TC Session event provides a unique opportunity to observe other founders presenting their ideas and to witness VCs analyzing pitch decks. This experience is invaluable for refining your own presentation skills.

Find a comfortable setting, prepare to take detailed notes, and witness the energy of these ten early-stage startups as they compete on day two of TC Early Stage 2021: Marketing and Fundraising.

Session 1: 9:00 a.m. – 9:50 a.m. PDT

Mi Terro (City of Industry, CA, USA) — This company is pioneering advanced materials by collaborating with food producers and agricultural operations. They create home-compostable packaging alternatives to single-use plastics, utilizing plant-based agricultural byproducts – a truly novel approach.

Press Sports App (Atlanta, GA, USA) — A dedicated social network for athletes of all skill levels and across various sports. Their highly active user base is establishing a comprehensive record-keeping system, starting at the amateur level, which is unprecedented.

Snowball Wealth (San Francisco, CA, USA) — Snowball Wealth offers tailored guidance to help the over 30 million American women burdened with student loan debt achieve financial freedom. They provide a free student loan repayment plan, which, on average, saves users $6,000. They are now expanding to offer a community-driven, personalized financial roadmap to facilitate wealth building alongside debt reduction.

My Expat Taxes (Vienna, Austria) — MyExpatTaxes is the leading tax software solution for U.S. citizens living abroad. It streamlines the tax filing process, offering a faster and more affordable alternative to competitors. The software automates international tax treaties and expat benefits, ensuring compliance and maximizing potential refunds.

Speeko (Chicago, Illinois, USA) — This platform delivers AI-powered feedback on vocal delivery, focusing on aspects like pace, filler words, inclusivity, clarity, and pronunciation. Users are matched with interactive exercises, courses, and vocal warm-ups based on their individual speaking style, effectively building vocal confidence.

Session 2: 10:10 a.m. – 11:05 a.m. PDT

Universal Prequal (Marlboro, NJ, USA) — This solution assists construction companies in mitigating risk by identifying and verifying qualified project teams. It replaces the traditional, paper-based, and costly vetting process with an online, user-friendly, and efficient system. The goal is to become the national standard for risk management in construction.

T2D2.ai (New York City, NY, USA) — T2D2.ai provides continuous monitoring of buildings, bridges, and other infrastructure using AI and computer vision. Their portal and dashboard offer asset owners and managers a detailed overview of all visible damage, prioritized by severity and geotagged for location, enabling focused preventative maintenance and improved safety.

Boomerang (Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil) — Boomerang operates a marketplace for consumer goods rentals. They connect retailers, brands, and rental stores with customers who prefer to use products rather than own them. For suppliers, Boomerang provides a complete rental platform, including logistics, insurance, and online payment processing.

Stash Global (Wilmington, DE, USA) — Stash Global addresses the critical threat of ransomware by transforming it into a manageable business problem. Their No Ransom Ransomware Solution restores files, prevents attacker access, and eliminates ransom demands – all without payment.

Vyrill (San Francisco, CA, USA) — Leveraging powerful AI-driven in-video search, Vyrill is a platform for discovering fan videos, gaining insights, and enhancing content marketing. It empowers brand marketers to amplify brand awareness and drive revenue through user-generated content like reviews and tutorials.