Networking Company Wins Birmingham Startup Pitch Contest
A Birmingham startup that makes software to facilitate networking at conferences and mixers has won $100,000 in an entrepreneurial competition. Mixtroz beat out seven competitors at the Rise of the Rest Birmingham pitch contest Wednesday evening.
The competition capped a day-long visit by AOL co-founder Steve Case and others from his venture capital firm Revolution. Case’s Rise of the Rest tour aims to highlight tech startup scenes away from the hotbeds of Silicon Valley, New York and Boston.
Eight Birmingham entrepreneurs gave four minute presentations before a panel of judges at Sloss Furnaces. The entries ranged from a text-messaging service that helps real estate agents respond to leads, to another providing support for community gardens.
During a panel before the competition, Revolution managing partner J.D. Vance encouraged participants to zero in on how their product or service would appeal to customers.
“Why does someone want to use this? Why does somebody want to engage with this product? Why ultimately, hopefully somebody going to pay for this product?” Vance said. “I’m amazed at how often even among relatively experienced entrepreneurs I leave a 20, a 30, a 100-minute meeting and I don’t actually know why the customers would want to use that product.”
Ashlee Ammons co-founded Mixtroz two years ago with her mother. The company developed software to help attendees at conferences or college mixers meet and connect with others. She describes it as similar to LinkedIn, but in real life.
“This is amazing,” Ammons said just after winning the competition. “This is like a dream come true. But you know what, frankly, we worked for it.”
Ammons started the company in Nashville but moved to Birmingham in January to take advantage of business incubator programs at Innovation Depot. She said the money will allow her to hire people other than herself and her mother. She said it’ll also help ease things at home.
“My mom and I have been sharing a one bedroom apartment for our duration in Birmingham,” Ammons said. “So we just literally said to Steve Case, ‘Oh my God! Two beds. Two beds!’ And I’m so jazzed about it.”
Ammons said after the win Birmingham will likely become the company’s permanent home.
How this long-lost Chinese typewriter from the 1940s changed modern computing
The concepts in the MingKwai typewriter underlie how Chinese, Japanese and Korean are typed today. The typewriter, patented in 1946, was found last year in an upstate New York basement.
North Korea has a new luxury beach resort. But the country isn’t open to most tourists
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he wants the luxury resort on the eastern seacoast to become a "world destination," but the country has been reluctant to allow in foreign tourists.
Mariska Hargitay walks a fine line in ‘My Mom Jayne’
It's natural to feel some skepticism when a celebrity makes a documentary about their own family. But Law & Order star Mariska Hargitay' tells a story that is both effective and empathetic.
Ukraine says it struck a Russian airbase as Russia sent drones into Ukraine
Ukraine said it struck a Russian airbase on Saturday, while Russia continued to pound Ukraine with hundreds of drones overnight, dashing hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the war.
‘Buy now, pay later’ purchases can now affect your credit score. Here’s what that means
Services that split up payments into installments are increasingly popular, especially among young and low-to-middle income shoppers. But now the FICO credit scoring company will be tracking that debt.
Will Trump’s megabill help Democrats win the House?
Democrats feel that Trump's tax and spending bill gives them an opening ahead of the 2026 midterms. But if they want to win back the House, they're going to have to get their own house in order first.