SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. – Oct. 15, 2020 – The Internet Marketing Association (IMA) has announced the winner of the annual IMA Startup Pitch Challenge held during this year’s landmark IMPACT 20 virtual conference. The challenge is always one of the most highly anticipated segments of the event.
Contenders in this year’s IMA Startup Pitch Challenge were:
FAMEOS creates a friction-free marketplace where brands and celebrities can seamlessly connect and do deals faster, easier and globally. New streams of revenue are generated by automating the matchmaking of major consumer brands and celebrity talent. Represented by CEO Zack Below.
GrayKea reduces financial stress for college students in need through sustainable alumni giving. In turn, students who receive funding come back onto the platform as alumni to help other students. Represented by Ayushi Gupta (University of Southern California), Siddhi Chandak (University of California, Berkeley), Manav Modi (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign).
Learneum is addressing the needs of today’s learners and their potential employers who are no longer satisfied by traditional educational institutions. The app encompasses five learning-level modules from onboarding to internship/startup. Represented by Founder and CEO Ernie Delgado.
Kwema develops safety wearables that enable employees to alert safety staff, notify 911 or activate any security protocol as well as provide privacy-based contact tracing. The devices are designed to save precious response time while mitigating risk. Represented by CEO Ali Al Jabry.
VizAeras provides an IoT platform and indoor environment sensors for monitoring, transparency and remote access in improving indoor air quality and healthy building conditions. The system tracks air quality metrics and other critical health performance indicators in real time for any building from any mobile device. Represented by CEO Carl Tautenhahn, CTO Gerald Monroe.
Competitors were evaluated on criteria including capital raised, value proposition, projected revenue, go-to-market strategy, market saturation, executive team and likeliness to disrupt.
For this year’s Challenge, FAMEOS was the winner in both the Judges Pick and Audience Pick categories. Key factors were the company’s innovations in an outdated industry, strong backing of investors and partnerships, and robust technology platform. Zack Below, CEO of FAMEOS, was also awarded Entrepreneur of the Year at the conference’s IMPACT awards.
“It is such an honor to win the IMA Startup Pitch Challenge and Entrepreneur of the Year at IMPACT 20,” said FAMEOS CEO Zack Below. “We have the fastest growing operating system in the world for deal making between celebrities and brands. The recognition is a tribute to our amazing team and years of hard work. The deal revolution is just beginning.”
IMPACT is the premier internet marketing conference of the year and convenes industry thought leaders to address the latest global trends, issues and best practices on wide array trending topics. This year’s event set a Guinness World Records milestone for largest attendance for a virtual marketing conference in one week.
For information on the Internet Marketing Association, visit www.imanetwork.org.
For information on FAMEOS, visit www.fameos.com
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About the Internet Marketing Association
IMA is one of the fastest growing and largest Internet marketing groups in the world, with professional members in fields including sales, marketing, business ownership, programming and creative development. It provides a platform where proven Internet marketing strategies are demonstrated and shared to increase members’ value to their organizations. IMA is underwritten by corporate partners to provide an opportunity to learn, engage and define best practices without making a financial commitment. www.imanetwork.org