Blooksy Wins Third Startup Showdown Pitch Competition
Panoramic Ventures today announced that Blooksy is the winner of its third Startup Showdown, the monthly pitch competition for entrepreneurs designed to showcase and fund early-stage technology companies. Blooksy, a cloud-based software platform that has everything authors need to easily write and publish their books, received a $120,000 investment from Panoramic and gained access to its Founder Success Program.
Other companies that reached the Startup Showdown finalist round this month included:
- BoxedUp, the first on-demand rental marketplace that allows equipment owners to ship their products to customers, instead of relying on in-person transactions.
- Makeena, which helps people shop healthier and more sustainably while saving them money.
- NuLife, a person-centered, tech-assisted, mobile-addiction treatment and recovery platform.
- Symba, the only mobile-first real estate CRM that helps agents manage their business.
Blooksy Simplifies the Book Publishing Process
Blooksy helps authors write and format their books through easy-to-use templates and also offers the ability to share manuscripts with others in real-time for feedback. Authors will also soon be able to hire editors and book cover designers as well as publish directly to online retailers and book-printing partners through the platform.
“This is the tool I wish I’d had while writing my books,” said Anthony “AJ” Joiner, who developed the concept for Blooksy as a multi-published author who has also helped over 150 other authors to publish their books over the last five years. “We intend to use the investment from Startup Showdown to complete the existing product features on our roadmap and amplify our marketing efforts.”
Blooksy is already used in limited beta by over 100 authors to write their books and has a wait list of hundreds more. The platform aims to make the writing and publishing process easier and more efficient, helping more people get their thoughts and ideas out into the world and their books into the hands of readers.
According to Publishers Weekly, combined print book and e-book sales hit 942 million units in 2020.
The Startup Showdown series is hosted by Panoramic Ventures, the venture capital investment team of BIP Capital, one of the most active VC firms in the Southeast. Panoramic is led by highly successful entrepreneurs and investors Paul Judge and Mark Buffington.
“Out of hundreds of applicants for our August competition, Blooksy won for its end-to-end solution that makes writing and self-publishing an easier, faster process,” said Panoramic Managing Partner Paul Judge. “The innovation we’re seeing at Startup Showdown is truly remarkable and the momentum keeps building. Over the course of our first three pitch events, we’ve hosted more than 300 mentoring sessions. We’re looking forward to our first-ever hybrid event taking place in-person and online next month.”
Startup Showdown Hosted LIVE in Miami on September 30
The next pitch competition will be held on Thursday, September 30 at 7 p.m. EST and will be a hybrid event taking place in-person at Le Rouge in Miami and will also be broadcast globally.
The application period is open now until Monday, September 6 for Miami-based companies to pitch in the September 30 Miami Startup Showdown. To apply, go here.
Startup Showdown is hosted monthly, with applications accepted year round. Every application submitted for Startup Showdown is reviewed by the Panoramic investment team, which narrows the applicant pool to 25 semifinalists for each event.
Ultimately, five Startup Showdown finalists are selected for each event to pitch in front of a panel of guest judges with $120,000 on the line.
To register to attend the September 30 event, go here.
About Startup Showdown
Hosted by Panoramic Ventures, Startup Showdown is a monthly pitch competition open to early-stage software and tech-enabled service businesses. For each competition, participants will be narrowed to 25 semifinalists who benefit from a Mentor Day with industry leaders. Ultimately, five finalists in each competition pitch their innovation to a panel of guest judges with a $120,000 investment on the line. For more information, visit startupshowdown.vc or follow Startup Showdown on Instagram or Twitter @showdownvc.
About Panoramic Ventures
Panoramic Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Atlanta that takes a “wider-view” approach to investing by targeting the Southeast and Midwest and placing a focus on diverse founders and university startups. Panoramic opens new doors for overlooked founders, giving more entrepreneurs access to capital to build leading tech companies. For more information, visit www.panoramic.vc or follow Panoramic Ventures on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter @panoramicvc.
Media Contact:
Kathy Berardi
678.644.4122
