Fifty-five startups from across the Washington region went head-to-head last week for $25,000 in no-strings-attached cash and prizes at an event called Distilled Intelligence. The day-long event, presented by new investment firm Fortify.vc, ended with a panel selecting five finalists to share the money. Meet the winners:
First
Company: Marz Industries.
Location: Glen Allen, Va.
Amount: $15,000.
High prices at the pump put a strain on ordinary drivers’ wallets, so imagine the financial burden felt by shipping companies whose fleets log hundreds or thousands of miles each week.
Marz Industries has built a system that adds hydrogen to the diesel fuel combustion process to improve efficiency. The system, which plugs into a truck’s existing engine, will be tested on fleets this fall.
Shipping companies “think of it as something that’s futuristic or requires wholesale replacement of current technology. . . [but] this system can have an immediate impact on every truck on the road today,” said Scott Green, head of strategy and marketing.
Second
Company: Troopswap.
Location: Washington.
Amount: $2,500.
Founder Blake Hall debuted Troopswap, a daily deal site for military families in Hampton Roads earlier this year, and recently added San Diego and Washington as markets.
Hall said the site has garnered interest from national brands and department stores that want to offer discounts to service members but need to verify shoppers’ military experience. Troopswap has three ways a subscriber can prove his or her service, Hall said.
Third
Company: TRX Systems.
Location: Greenbelt.
Amount: $2,000.
TRX Systems provides location and tracking services in enclosed areas where traditional global positioning system technology is spotty or unavailable, such as buildings and mines.
Chief executive Carol Politi said the company already has attracted clients in Singapore and Malaysia, and has worked with the federal government on defense and military applications.
Fourth
Company: Grandstand.
Location: W ashington.
Amount: $1,500.
Social networks and applications such as Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare blend the physical and virtual worlds when people share real-life actions with their online networks.
Grandstand turns that behavior into a game. For example, 500 fans can check in at a sports stadium and unlock a deal on beer. Debuted last month by District-based iStrategyLabs, the application aims to get people engaged with brands on social media.
Fifth
Company: Ruck.us.
Location: Washington.
A mount: $1,000.
The latest poll numbers will tell you that many Americans think Washington’s two-party system is broken. Count the founders of Ruck.us among them.
The Web site offers a place for people with similar positions and values to connect and take action on issues they find important — sans the “Democrat” and “Republican” labels. Co-founders Ray Glendening and Nathan Daschle are the sons of Democratic officials and left political careers to start the company.
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