John Pytel knew what it was like to go through 10 weeks in the Chicago Lean Startup Challenge competition. Last year, his company, GoSoapbox, made it to the final four and won. At this year’s finals Pytel returned as a judge.
It wasn’t an easy task. The four finalists — unWined (a touchscreen decison-making guide for wine), Unbranded Designs (connects customers to independent furniture designers), Care Content (an on-demand customizable content provider for healthcare PR websites), and Cardoona (a platform to help restaurants compare vendor prices for the best possible deal) — competed for $75-thousand in cash and prizes. The teams had great ideas, perfectly honed pitches, and had mastered the Lean Startup process. The question, now, had done it best?
In the end, the only company that had garnered revenue ($3,200) by the end of the 10 week Lean Startup process, emerged the victor. ❒
