Last Thursday was demo day for the Collider Accelerator’s 2019 cohort! As I mentioned previously, I was present at Collider Bootcamp with Josari. But sadly, Josari did not make the cut. However, what that meant that I got to see the startups graduating from Collider, just before they started their journey. It was interesting to see how far they had come.

I think the two startups that came the further from when I saw them at Bootcamp was Shotstack and Trusted Voice.

Shotstack during Bootcamp showed off the technology, but I personally couldn’t see an application. But turns out, there is a great demand for automated video creation en-mass. It was build in response to market demand, but that wasn’t made clear at Bootcamp. But on demo day, it was clear that there was a business model around that product. It wasn’t a solution looking for a problem. There was a problem that Shotstack was addressing because there is a need to create short videos en-mass. I get it now!

Similar to Shotstack, I didn’t know what The Trusted Voice, back then called Master Your Video, was trying to do. I got that the founder, String Nguyen, was an amazing social media influencer but I wasn’t sure what she wanted me to buy from her. But now I get it. The Trusted Voice a coaching program that promises to teach me how I can increase my influence and share my content. String has come a long way from Bootcamp!

AirSyne’s pitch improved a lot! They also found a target market in sports. AirSyne is the location-based messaging app that puts augmented reality (AR) messages in the air. I tried it out during the event. It’s pretty cool, but it is a “critical mass” issue. So I think they have targeted the right beachhead market with sporting events. I also see many other applications for AirSyne, but also a lot of pitfalls. Let’s face, someone will leave an ASCII dick as a message sooner or later!

The other startups also polished their pitches, and I am sure developed a lot in the background. But being more mature startups when they went into Collider, they didn’t go as dramatic a transformation as Shotstack, AirSyne and The Trusted Voice.

I mean, Anti Ordinary, who make beanies as strong as a helmet, and Cardly, who make customised cards with mimicked handwriting, are more scaleups then startups. So it makes sense that Anti Ordinary did not change a lot during the three months of the Collider accelerator. I don’t know what Cardly was before Collider because I don’t have any memory of them in the Bootcamp. I think they skipped the Bootcamp. But it’s clear from the pitch they are a mature startup.

Colour Space, an art rental service and Whatpods, training for podcast hosts, had a proper identity at the Bootcamp, and I think they just developed more during the accelerator. I think Whatpods used their time in the accelerator to create their training modules. Changes with Colour Space was not apparent from the pitch at demo day compared to Bootcamp.

Analytics.Lol was the sole representative of the gaming industry. Analytics.Lol is an analytics software for competitive gaming with the beachhead being League of Legends. I know enough about e-Sports to realize they have a high ceiling and potential for great success as the industry grows. But even the best ideas don’t turn into successful businesses.

Lastly but not least was the startup that actually went first, Umelore! Back in the Bootcamp, I knew Umelore was a sure bet to get into Collider. Umelore is an online marketplace that is connecting Indigenous artists with those looking to source authentic Indigenous artwork, ethically. It’s a brilliant idea from a brilliant Indigenous female founder, Alisha Jayne. I wish her all the luck!