Judgment Night: Where Ideas Collide!

 

 

by ROB McMANAMY | April 17, 2015

Okay, the planets and the players are now in alignment. Our esteemed judges are set, and our entrepreneurial contestants are limbering up, awaiting their cue. All we need is you.

BuiltWorlds’ inaugural Judgment Night, sponsored by The Private Bank, is just days away. Tickets are still available, but don’t delay. What will you see? Well, here is our energetic slate of startups who will vie for prizes, expert advice and your love here April 23. Please come out and show your support for those courageous enough to enter the arena.

• SmarterShade – According to founder and CEO Mike Stacey, this technology “reinvents smart glass.” Blinds and shades are awkward, he explains. They break, have limited energy control, and in the residential market, their cords and rods even pose risks to small children. SmarterShade, by contrast, is user-controlled but inexpensive, using no power or chemical reaction. It even controls for privacy and glare, in addition to energy use;

• DynaLifter International – Sometimes the future actually can be found in the past. The Dynalifter® is a hybrid aircraft, combining the operational reliability of a turboprop airplane with the fuel efficiencies of an airship. As a freighter, it can carry unprecedented loads farther than previous airlift systems. At its heart is a patented internal frame that mates the renewable lift capability of helium, with the natural lift of dynamic wings in an airstream. Together, they offer a fuel-efficient, reliable aircraft quantum leaps ahead in cargo bay sizing and lower operational costs;

• Digital Design Criteria Manual – This cloud-based retail information delivery platform for Owners, Landlords, and Retailers was developed by WorkShop-MG. The firm’s CEO Michael Greeby says DDCM can also be deployed on commercial real estate projects to facilitate design and construction because it solves five key shortcomings of the traditional paper and .pdf manuals typical to the industry. For instance, with search capabilities integrated into the system, it can save users 15 minutes every time they utilize the platform. In this way, and others, DDCM dramatically increases project collaboration and information accuracy, while reducing cost;

• Pridgit – “3D printing, without the 3D printer!” Pridgit changes the way artists, household consumers, and businesses utilize 3D printing. Pridgit is a global marketplace and network where customers can purchase, or create, 3D printable objects. They provide artists and designers a marketplace to sell 3D designs, and enable print shops to fulfill orders; helping to bring more business to shops all across the country. Have an idea on paper you’d like to see come to life? They would be happy to turn those ideas into 3D printed objects! The next big thing doesn’t have to be hard, so let them make it easy for you!
• THREADER by MEP Ally – Every project ends with at least some materials and equipment left over. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing contractors traditionally operate on the thinnest margins, so they need to make every dollar count. Threader is a mobile application designed and built by MEP Ally that combines an internal inventory tracking tool to help subs support each other, avoid restocking charges and maximize value.

“We are excited about our presenters, our judges, and the added creativity that should come out of this first-of-its-kind event for Chicago,” says Matt Abeles, BuiltWorlds’ managing director and the event organizer. “But it fits perfectly with our mission to connect the movers and shakers in the built environment with those young, innovative minds who have the potential to move us and shake us like never before.”

This is a competition, of course, but there will be no losers. Some participants may benefit more than others, and lasting commercial relationships may develop among contestants, judges, and attendees. But everyone on hand should leave this event smarter and better able both to gauge the needs of the marketplace and to formulate a strategy that may win over potential investors.

Eric Loos

BuiltWorlds also feels honored by the panel of judges who will participate. The august group of tech and financial wizards with a soft spot for small business and a knack for picking winners, includes: Private Bank Managing Director John Hoesley Pritzker Group Venture Capital VP Gabe Greenbaum, Hyde Park Angels Managing Director Peter Wilkins, and Walbridge Technologies‘ VDC Integration Manager Eric Loos. They will ask questions, dispense advice, offer constructive criticism, and then at the end of the evening will choose the idea most likely to succeed.

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