Michigan based non-profit Ann Arbor Spark supports the economic growth in its region by advancing business acceleration, attraction and retention. At its latest Entrepreneur Boot Camp, Ann Arbor Spark awarded CampGig.com the $25,000 Best of Boot Camp prize and presented $10,000 to Breath of Life as runner up.
CampGig.com is a summer camp staffing solution, bringing together camps and staff via an interactive online platform. Its serves to reduce the time, effort, and money spent by camps to find staff each year. Runner up Breath of Life is a software platform that promotes meditation and stress reduction through deep slow breathing using auditory biofeedback via a smartphone.
“This year’s Boot Camp cohort was a diverse bunch, ranging from online apps to a consumer product for newborns,” said Bill Mayer, Ann Arbor SPARK vice president of entrepreneurial services. “What was impressive is that the tech ecosystem in Ann Arbor has room – and support – for so many different entrepreneurial endeavors.”
Entrepreneurs participating in the Boot Camp are assisted in a number of ways that includes: assessing and validating the feasibility of their business concept, supporting the building of their business model, and finding beta customers for their startups. The multi-week program provides entrepreneurs with hands-on assistance to test ideas with the support of multiple mentors and early stage investors.
“The feedback and coaching we received while in the Boot Camp, including an emphasis on customer discovery, helped launch CampGig to the next level,” said founder Curtis McFall, describing his experience in a recent press release. “The money we received from Boot Camp will allow us to ramp up our marketing efforts, hire our first employee, and continue developing our core software.”
