RECAP: 1 Million Cups features MotaVera and YouSpin
June 10, 2015 | Abby Tillman
Kansas City’s 1 Million Cups event was on display this week with a full room and a camera crew on hand, recording content for an upcoming website update.
The two featured startups — MotaVera and YouSpin — rose to the challenge of the added pressure, and introduced attendees to their respective startups.
First to present was MotaVera, an online platform that enables college students to connect with small- and medium-sized businesses for internships and job opportunities. Truman State University students recognized a need for the product while looking for internships and jobs themselves.
“I saw this problem,” MotaVera co-founder Nep Orshiso said. “I saw that it was a real problem, and I saw my peers having trouble with [finding jobs]. It was very easy to relate to them.”
The MotaVera team wanted to create a job platform that is different from other available solutions, including the career service center at their school.
“We focus on the small- to medium-sized opportunities,” said Orshiso. “The small opportunities are generally overshadowed.”
MotaVera will be mobilizing student representatives who will target other student groups to promote the platform, and the opportunities listed on it. MotaVera plans to launch their minimum viable product by the end of 2015.
Following MotaVera was YouSpin, an interactive, virtual jukebox system for bars, clubs and restaurants. Founder Adell Hendon created the solution to help engage patrons by allowing them to influence the type of music that is played at a particular venue.
“You can pick songs from your phone,” said Adell. “Everyone gets to vote on the songs they want to hear. … Those most popular will play first, and everyone gets to hear what they want to hear.”
YouSpin is currently offering its beta version, and will be available for $600 per month. It includes a platform for customers to chat with other bar patrons, vote on music, get drink specials and learn about upcoming events.
Featured Business
2015 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Hot biskuits on the rise: Classically-trained chef brings long lines, culture, collaboration to North KC
Guroux Khalifa had $150 to his name when he set out to serve the best biscuits Kansas City ever tasted, he shared. “A lot of painstaking work, time, love and passion has been put into creating this amazing product. The people who really understand the value and quality of that product have stuck around and…
Dolphin Tank makes a splash with women in tech: Meet the next three founders pitching
The Dolphin Tank pitch showcase returns to Kansas City this month with a trio of women-led tech startups riding a wave of heightened exposure for their ventures. Now in its second year in Kansas City, Springboard Enterprises’ Dolphin Tank is set for 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, at Polsinelli, 900 W. 48th…
Chiefs celebration turned much of downtown KC into a parking lot; Startups along the parade route got to work, joined the party
Prime locations along the Chiefs championship parade gave several local startups an opportunity to celebrate with their team members and families Wednesday as traffic and business largely came to a halt across midtown and downtown Kansas City. “It’s not every day Chiefs players are walking the streets out front and waving at our team in…
KC’s first Black-owned brewery could open within weeks; Here’s how its debut lager could land in your hand even sooner
Vine Street Brewing’s long-anticipated opening is nearly here, said Kemet Coleman, teasing a late March first pour for the taproom and brewhouse space, which sits adjacent to the city’s historic jazz district. “It’s crazy to see something that for so long has been just an idea in our minds starting to become real,” said Coleman,…