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Hype Exclusive | Rise of the Rest Pitch Competitors Announced

Hype Exclusive | Rise of the Rest Pitch Competitors Announced
Sgt. Seth Forbes, 27, a motor transport mechanic with 3rd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, remains focused and calm before his fight against Virgil Davis of the Eureka fire department at the Scottstrade Center in St. louis, June 20. The event, "First to Fight," is an amateur boxing tournament which puts Marines and St. Louis police and firefighters toe-to-toe with all proceeds to benefit Backstoppers, Semper Fi Foundation and Toys for Tots. Marine Week provides an opportunity to increase public awareness of the Marine Corps' value to our nation's defense and to preserve and mature the Corps' relationship with the American people. Photo by Sgt. Jimmy D. Shea

Steve Case, the co-founder of AOL and chair and CEO of Revolution, is coming to Atlanta on Thursday, May 7th on the Rise of the Rest tour. The event will kick off with a tour of local startup spaces and meetings with civic leaders. In the early afternoon the bus will arrive at Opera nightclub for a fireside chat with Steve about the challenges and opportunities facing entrepreneurs, the Rise of the Rest concept, and how this is the best moment in recent history to start and scale a business in Atlanta. Next, the 8 local startup companies listed below will duke it out and pitch Steve and a panel of all-star judges for 5 minutes, with a $100,000 investment prize going to the winning startup.

Check out the contenders and get ready to root for your favorite

Partpic – visual search technology for replacement parts Groundfloor – lending club for real estate Cooleaf - employee engagement software for workplaces LocalRoots - mobile marketplace for local farms to sell direct to consumers eCredable - leverages alternative credit to connect "no credit" consumers to creditors Zyrobotics - create mobile technology for educational and accessible play Reveal Estate – Turbo Tax-like platform that empowers home buyers and saves them money The Village Microfund - helps develop the economic landscape of low-income communities in the US

Companies will be judged by Steve Case, Bridgette Beam, David Cummings, Paul Judge, and David Hall according to the following criteria:

Bold Idea - Does the idea “swing for the fences” and have the potential to change the world – and, if successful, perhaps become a billion-dollar business? Jobs - Will the idea, if it scales, employ a large number of people? Team - Does the team have the skills and leadership to move forward on this idea? Execution - Is there strong customer growth or revenue? Business Model - Has a revenue model been defined and is it realistic and sustainable? Local - Is this idea building on the core strengths (and unique differentiators) of the region – and, if selected, will this startup potentially excite national investors and media to pay more attention to what’s happening in the region?

[Photo Credit]

Tricia Whitlock