Momentum

Meet the Momentum 2011 Startups!

Release Date: May 10 , 2011

Meet the Momentum 2011 Startups!

Grand Rapids, MI— Momentum, the West Michigan seed accelerator that provides initial investments, mentoring and business launch assistance to internet technology entrepreneurs is pleased to introduce their latest batch of startups- Chext, FoodCircles, Booker, Converati, and recent 5X5night winner, Weather Collage!

You can meet the Momentum 2011 Teams at The Momentum Kick-off Celebration on Thursday, May 19th, at The BOB, downtown Grand Rapids from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. For more information visit http://momentumkickoff.eventbrite.com

“We are excited to enter another year of contributing to a start-up culture in West Michigan by investing in these exciting teams and ideas.” says Momentum founder, Rick DeVos

“We are exceptionally excited about the caliber of teams that won spot’s in this year’s Momentum program.” says Momentum Executive Director, Bill Holisinger-Robinson. “They represent such a wide range of skills, backgrounds and domains of interest. Added to what is shaping up to be a strong level of programming, we are planning on a very dynamic, busy Summer.”

After a rigorous application process that attracted over 47 ideas from throughout the state, 5 companies stood out:

Booker
Scheduling a haircut shouldn’t be a pain, nor should booking a massage, guitar lesson, or any other activity. Booker makes online scheduling easy for customers and painless for businesses.

Chext
Chext is an online service that allows couples to balance a shared checkbook with text messages. Use the online tools to reconcile your bank statements, star important transactions, and predict your future balances. If you can text your friends, you can replace your checkbook with Chext.

Converati
Converati is a conversation platform that creates an environment modeled off of in-person conversation that’s suitable for Web-based group discussions. The product – which takes the form of both a browser plugin and a mobile application – is targeted toward frequenters of web discussion boards, as well as those that exchange a lot of back-and-forth direct messages with their social graph.

Food Circles
FoodCircles aims to change the way you eat.  They are creating a platform to empower you as a consumer and flip the supply and demand model for eating out.  Why?  To determine what restaurants will put on the table for your loyalty.  Think “eBay for restaurants” where the lowest bidder wins, and get competition for your business today.

Weather Collage
WeatherCollage is focused on curating files via the intersection of atmospheric data and media. Weather has the unique ability to make us feel, and provides an interesting medium to explore the world. WeatherCollage will be creating an application that enhances user experiences.

Each company will be incorporated and receive $20,000 in pre seed funding. In addition, the 12-week program will provide extensive mentorship, help with product, customer and business model development, and connections to valuable resources.

Momentum was founded in 2009 by Rick DeVos and is a partnership between The Windquest Group and Pomegranate Studios. It has since grown into a collective of entrepreneurs, investors, business professionals, universities, and entrepreneur support organizations, all with a shared vision-to retain Michigan’s talent, launch new tech ventures, and help cultivate our region’s entrepreneurial community and culture.