i3 - May/June 2016 - 38

Policy

BY JUSTIN SIRAJ

T EC H H U B : D.C. STA RT U P S

ashington, D.C. is one of America's top tech centers. In CTA's 2016 edition of the Innovation Scorecard, D.C. earned the title of Innovation Champion due to its entrepreneurial
activity, fast Internet, tech workforce and the STEM graduates it produces. D.C. also
stood out in its ability to welcome new business models. Often overlooked, this important innovation measure looks at the willingness of state and local officials to accept or accommodate new ways
of doing business that may threaten more established firms. Here are some startups that embody
various business models in the D.C. area.

Split
Split is improving cities and communities by
providing smart, sustainable and affordable
shared rides. All the user needs to do is
enter their destination and Split's technology instantly connects the user with people
travelling in the same direction. By bringing
the community together and providing a
convenient service, Split helps everyone
save money. Split only covers the downtown
D.C. area, but plans to expand further.

Pixe Social
Converting audiences into
brand ambassadors, Pixe Social
is passionate about connecting fans with their favorite
brands on social media. Pixe
Social enables communities to
share their favorite experiences
instantly through smart mobile
solutions. The service provides
engaging attendee experiences for tradeshows, captures
treasured guest moments for
event marketers, and attracts
desirable and contemporary
audiences for venues.

MAY/JUNE 2016

Boomerang Inc.
This young team of selfproclaimed go-getters has
developed the world's first
phone case that houses a
fully retractable USB cable.
The Boomerang case is
uniquely designed to include
a two foot USB charger that
retracts in and out of the
case at the push of a button.
Boomerang aims to simplify
your life by seamlessly integrating the things we use
every day into one item.

Driversiti
Sascha Simon and a team
comprised of leading
experts from aerospace,
automotive, software and
consumer applications,
melded their creativity
and expertise to generate
this new disruptive technology. Driversiti brings
Simon's vision of a powerful and accessible mobile
safety platform to life. The
software uses the sensors
in your smartphone to
replace your car's safety
system. Diversiti learns
your driving habits, alerts
you when you are driving
dangerously, identifies
hazardous conditions and
feeds that information in
real-time to the cloud.

Capitol Bells
Ted Henderson is a former Capitol Hill
staffer who, when his boss retired, started
coding an app to help new staffers become
accustomed to Congress' unique buzzer
system that indicates when votes are happening. Capitol Bells lets constituents "vote"
on legislation alongside their representatives. The app allows the user to track representatives in Congress with live vote alerts
and engages the user through text, news,
photos and polls, and whip votes alongside members of Congress to set your own
agenda and influence your colleagues.

I T I S I N N O VAT I O N

http://driversiti.com/ http://split.us/ http://www.pixesocial.com/public/enter.aspx http://www.capitolbells.com/ http://boomerangcase.com/

i3 - May/June 2016

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