CTIA
WIRELESS I.T. & Entertainment 2009 in San Diego offered the First
Annual CTIA "Fund Fest" 2009, a
business app pitch session.
CTIA
President and CEO Steve Largent was joined onstage by an expert panel
of three judges - Rory Moore, CommNexus San Diego CEO; Any Seybold, Andrew
Seybold, Inc. CEO and Principal Consultant; and Quinn Li, Qualcomm
Ventures Managing Director. The audience voted by texting.
Here's what happend:
- First
up was Chander Chawla, from Mjedi, a mobile web platform featuring the
actual in-store shopping experience, combined with the instant friends
and family recommendation possibilities of social networking. The
company microtargets shoppers using UPC code entry scans to track price
status, check for other bargains elsewhere, look at competition via
online shopping and ultimately aide the individual on their purchasing
decision. - Next to showcase its product was Terry Goertz
and Jeff Fedor from ParkVu. Using their WITH ME and WITH MUSIC online
platforms, users can transport all their computer files, music,
pictures and video to their mobile device in a single click. The goal
is to seamlessly import this information into your cellphone or
smartphone. - Billing Revolution's
Andy Kleitsch pitched his company allowing mobile payments and transactions to
be performed on your mobile device. - Chyngle's Todd Sullivan showed how Chyngle will improve an attendee's experience at large-scale
venues such as shopping malls, concerts, sports arenas, etc. Chyngle enables stadiums and other venues (even shopping malls) to create customized "white-label" apps to enable consumers to purchase event tickets, order concessions delivered
directly to their seats and participate in interactive polling. Chyngle's branded apps use GPS to find the customer's location and helsp discover
services and people nearby. CEO Todd Sullivan calls it "in-pocket marketing." - Last,
but not least was Jonathan Javitt from TelCare, a remote sensor
monitoring company that connects patients to their caregivers through
medical devices utilizing "machine to machine" cellular communications.
They're focused on individuals with diabetes - something that affects
28 million Americans today, and is projected to affect 60 million
Americans by 2020.
Largent came back up
onstage to confer with the expert panel of judges and tabulate
text-voting results
Chyngle was voted the winner and won the first annual grand prize. Maybe there will be a Chyngle app for CTIA next year. The People's Choice Award winner was TelCare.
All five CTIA Fund Fest finalists received a complimentary exhibit and
marketing package for a 2010 CTIA event valued at more than $25,000 and
a block of public relations consulting time from Media Strategies, Inc.