Ignition

A Barkley venture to inspire a new era of entrepreneurship and innovation

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Team Alcohoot

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MEET ALCOHOOT

Human condition monitoring is the next advancement in mobile technology - using non-invasive methods to accurately test and track a person’s condition and collect data over time. Alcohoot started with breathalyzer solutions for consumers, law enforcement and mobile fleet management to reduce business costs and save human lives. CEO, Christopher Ayala has built a cross-functional team with skills in executive management, business development, strategy, hardware and software development to run Alcohoot out of New York, NY. Barkley has been working with Alcohoot on their pitch presentation and deck design.

Alcohoot was started in 2012 with the goal to combat drinking and driving. To put this problem in perspective, 28 lives are lost each day in the United States from drinking and driving. Alcohoot is working hard to reduce this number. While the focus the past several years has been on consumer usage, the company is developing blood alcohol monitoring systems for not just consumers, but for law enforcement and mobile work forces as well. Alcohoot’s products are focused on accuracy and design and they plan to continue to scale and innovate.

Alcohoot recently launched a partnership with Kansas City Police Force piloting Alcohoot’s law enforcement platform – Intrepid – confirming device accuracy and providing feedback on hardware and software components.

Barkley is looking forward to Alcohoot’s presentation on Demo Day and following them as they continue to innovate human condition monitoring solutions.

Connect with Alcohoot:

http://www.alcohoot.com/

Like Alcohoot on Facebook

Follow on Twitter: alcohoot

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First Derm team: Dr. Alexander Börve, Connor Church, Nicholas Hu

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MEET FIRST DERM

Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, First Derm is an app and web-service that connects users directly to dermatologists for an opinion on any skin issue - anywhere, anytime, anonymously.

Dr. Alexander Börve, First Derm founder and CEO, as well as orthopedic surgeon, originally came up with the idea as a way for paramedics to send him images from the scene of accidents as an early warning in the operating room. This inspiration led to the realization that this same system has enormous potential for dermatology. Barkley strategists and designers have worked with the First Derm team to develop their pitch presentation and Dan Fromm, Barkley President/COO, has served as their Sprint Accelerator program mentor.

First Derm saw this system(secure image exchange and response) as the perfect opportunity for dermatology. “The average wait-time to see a dermatologist in the United States is 29 days. In that time, some skin problems can become worse or even deadly. On the other hand, most skin problems are quite minor and usually can be resolved with over-the-counter treatment. Whether severe or minor, skin issues cause people a lot worry because there is no quick or reliable way to find out which are which.” The First Derm app solves these issues by giving users quick access to a dermatologist.

So how does it work?

With the First Derm app users take two pictures of their skin issue, describe their symptoms, pay the dermatologist fee and press send. In under 24 hours the network of dermatologists will provide an answer on: 1) the likely identity of the skin problem 2) possible at-home treatment options and 3) if/when a doctor’s visit is recommended. “70% of users have conditions that resolve with OTC treatment. 30% of users have more serious skin problems and are directed to dermatologists in the area.”

First Derm focuses on easy usage, efficiency and quality. They hope that in the future, their app will be the first point of contact for every skin issue, anywhere in the world.

The First Derm team came together after meeting at the Health 2.0 Conference in San Francisco and every team member is passionate about digital health. The team also includes Nicholas Hu, cofounder and COO, Jimmy Stridh, CTO, Connor Church runs marketing, Evan Pun, UX/UI designer and Jenel Myers, IOS Developer.

First Derm is the flagship brand of parent company iDoc24 Inc. The team plans to be the central hub for digital health apps and plans to develop apps in other health categories so that their doctor networks can be a one-stop-shop for all types of health questions.

Barkley is excited to see First Derm present on Sprint Accelerator Demo Day and to follow their future endeavors!

Connect with First Derm:

Visit the website: https://www.firstderm.com/

Like on Facebook

Follow on Twitter: @FirstDerm

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Meet Ovatemp

Headquartered in Boston, Ovatemp is a fertility management platform that empowers women to take control of their fertile health. Barkley has been working with Ovatemp on their overall pitch presentation and deck design. We spoke with Ana Mayer, Cofounder of Ovatemp, about the company and their goals for the future. Ana and her Cofounder Daniel Graf have known each other for 14 years and have been married for the past 6. Their own personal experience with infertility actually led them to start Ovatemp. “We used the method as natural birth control and realized that tracking temperatures manually is a major pain point. When we decided to start a family, I encountered issues with my fertile health and realized there was no complete solution available on the market. I researched, tried different options and found the best solution, and now we want to share that with couples who are struggling to get pregnant. have children,” said Ana.   So how does it work? Ovatemp is a way for women to take control of their fertile health and receive data-driven personalized advice. It is a smart fertility monitor that consists of an Oral Bluetooth Thermometer that pairs with the Ovatemp App. The App educates, provides tools to track their cycles easily, and gives advice on stress, diet and lifestyle specifically tailored for each user. Ovatemp helps women understand their fertility and use that information to their advantage. Ovatemp is currently focusing on helping women get pregnant, but plans to expand to help women in every stage of their reproductive life cycle, whether they are trying to achieve pregnancy, avoid pregnancy without hormonal contraception or track their cycles for health reasons. “In 5 years we plan to be a Women's Health Platform that provides the necessary tools and information for women to own their fertile health,” said Ana. We’re looking forward to seeing Ovatemp’s pitch presentation at Demo Day and following the company on their journey post Sprint Accelerator! Connect with Ovatemp:

Visit the website: http://ovatemp.com/

Like on Facebook

Twitter: ovatemp

Ovatemp CoFounders: Daniel Graf & Ana Mayer 

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Barkley Hosted Sprint Accelerator Pitch Practice & Happy Hour Event!

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Barkley Hosted Sprint Accelerator Pitch Practice

Last week, Barkley hosted the Sprint Accelerator companies for Wednesday night Pitch Practice and a happy hour event on the rooftop. Each company presented their pitch and received feedback from the audience. All Barkley employees were welcome to attend, learn more about the companies and provide thoughts on each pitch presentation. Great job to all of the companies that presented! 

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Presenters Sara Buck & David Weaver share wisdom at the Barkley Workshop at Sprint Accelerator

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Barkley & Sprint Accelerator Workshop

Barkley is excited to be an official sponsor of the 2015 Sprint Accelerator program powered by Techstars in Kansas City! Over the next couple months, Barkley will work with each company on their pitch presentations by helping them tell the right story and design the pitch decks with the right look and feel. 

Barkley kicked off their work with the Sprint Accelerator program last week with a workshop around storytelling and modern brands. Sara Buck, SVP, Group Account Leader, started the presentation by introducing Barkley’s role in the program to the Sprint Accelerator companies and shared some details about Barkley. 

David Weaver, Barkley EVP Strategy & Creative, discussed what branding means today and ways to communicate your origin story. He spoke to the importance of knowing your “why,” and asked that each company take the time to confidently establish their own why.

Tim Galles, Chief Idea Officer, challenged the companies to think about the brand actions that prove their brand story. This proof could be found in distribution, transparency, experience, utility, culture, R&D, cause, reboot, service or model. It’s important that each company find a way to prove out their own brand story. 

Barkley led a group activity in which each company wrote what an ideal headline would look like for their company in five years, and some great answers were shared! Ranging in publications such as Wired to Time to Newsweek to Sports Illustrated, each company is thinking big when it comes to the future.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent in smaller groups led by Barkley strategists. Barkley strategists worked with each company to discuss classical positioning statements, ideal target markets and how to tell their origin story.

Each company will continue to work with the Barkley strategists to master the details that will make for the right presentation story and will soon kick off with a Barkley designer to start developing their pitch presentation deck design. We’re looking forward to the Barkley hosted Pitch Practice on April 22nd!