It was like the finale of a reality TV show, only actually real.
Wednesday night's CROWDFUNDx NYC Challenge at The New School's Theresa Lang Center pitted 14 top NYC small businesses, social enterprise, and startup companies against each other for a $25,000 grand prize.
Crowdfunding platform Crowdfunder partnered with American Express OPEN Forum and Nokia@Work to host New York City's first annual CrowdfundX event to show how crowdfunding can support business growth and job creation.
More than 130 entries were submitted to the challenge in three categories: small business, social enterprise, and startup. The top 14 entries were chosen to compete Wednesday evening, with each pitching a 3-minute presentation to a panel of judges and more than 300 people in the audience.
First, meet the small business candidates.
Made in the Lower East Side is a network of public shared workspaces, creating short-term uses in prime real estate of New York.
With over 200 vacant storefronts (equivalent to 250,000 square feet of unused space), Made in the Lower East Side has repurposed the area into pop-up shops, office space, event venues and more. They are the winners of ArchDaily and HP's Innovation Challenge, a contest that rewards innovative workplace design.
NOOKA Inc. is a modern watch company, connecting fashion and technology.
Referred to as the “Apple of the accessory market", NOOKA has attracted celebrity tech endorsements including Foursquare's Dennis Crowley and Dropbox's Drew Houston. NOOKA is also releasing a line of shoes and t-shirts with Fila China.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider