Startup Reposit named Digital DNA upSTART 2017 champion

by Startacus Admin

Over 2 days at Digital DNA 2017, 35 tech and digital startups competed to be named winner of the upSTART pitch battle 2017.  Competition was fierce as some leading startups from the UK, NI, Irish, and European technology spaces pitched before a panel of industry leading experts and investors, in the hope of laying claim to the overall prize package valued at £150k.

With major fields of tech innovation represented over the 2 day pitch comp held at St Georges Market, Belfast, the 8 highest scoring startups from the heats progressed through to a final round of pitches and a grilling from the panel of top industry judges. 

Of these 8 finalists, Reposit rose to success demonstrating to the judge's ability to scale, an accomplished team, credibility within the field, and a solid plan for expansion in the months ahead. PropTech come FinTech startup Reposit aims to offer a faster and more affordable online alternative to the £3.5 billion tenancy deposit market, protecting landlords, lowering void periods for agents and reducing tenants outlay.

There were 7 fab Judges on the panel which included key figures from the UK and Ireland Startup ecosystem including; Eamonn Carey - Managing Director of Techstars, Martina Lubrano - Incubator Associate at Deloitte Ventures, Paul Hollway - Senior Vice President of Corporate Finance at Kx, Leanne Wilson - Agile Development Manager at Allstate NI, Stuart Hillston - Founder ConCap, Emer Colman - Technology Engagement at Co Op Digital, and Per Stahl - Chief Investment Officer Lucey Fund.

Reposit CEO Curran McKay represented the business at the pitch, and after being named winner he had this to say:

"We're absolutely delighted to have won the Digital DNA upSTART 2017 competition, it’s a reflection of the hard work that the whole Reposit team has delivered in changing renting for the better, for everyone.

Its doubly special to have pitched in the ring in my home country and we'll be using the prizes to speed up the rollout of RentPass-the UK's first CV for renting. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Alastair and the team at Startacus, the organisers of Digital DNA, and all of the sponsors who have provided prizes - I’m looking forward to working with all of them”. 

As the winning startup, Reposit takes home a package of prizes worth £150K including £10K hard cash, and a huge range of business growth support including:

• Access to the Kx platform to fast track your technology stack – free enterprise software, combined with bespoke design and architectural services

• Access to Microsoft’s Bizspark Plus programme

• Up to £100k worth of Azure Credits

• A one day strategy workshop in the Deloitte Ventures Lab in London and a one day Greenhouse session at Deloitte Digital’s Belfast Technology Studio

• A full day Brand Strategy Workshop at ‘The House’

• A master class in Agile Product Development with Allstate NI’s Extreme Agile practitioners.

Co-founder of Startacus, and host of upSTART 2017, Alastair Cameron, congratulated Reposit and thanked all of those who has taken part and supported the event:

“ It’s hard to believe that this is only the second ever Digital DNA upSTART pitch competition - the level of quality that we have seen over the last few days has been phenomenal, and it is a credit to the amount of talent and innovation that is being produced in the UK, Ireland, and Europe at the moment.  I want to extend a special congratulations to Curran and all of the team at Reposit for their victory, it’s clear that they really wowed the judges with the quality of their pitch, and I’m sure I speak for everyone who saw them pitch when I say that we expect big things from them in the future.  

We are delighted to have once again been given the opportunity to partner with leading tech event Digital DNA in running and hosting this pitch competition.  upSTART has now become an integral element of the Digital DNA event, and we are really looking forward to hopefully developing the competition further in 2018.”

Securing second place, was the impressive Kodama, a smart toy platform that aims to open the mind of children aged 5 to 12, by taking the best out of traditional toys and digital games. Kodama makes use of its innovative patent pending technology which enables interactions comparable to VR with a vision to become the leader in the smart toy space before disrupting other markets. We expect big things from Kodama too. 

The six other finalists who made it to the final were WeSavvy, Small Robot Company, ProtectBox, Kompas, Nova Leah, & Locate a Locum, all whom impressed the judges.

Digital DNA upSTART 17 was supported by a number of standout brand partners including Deloitte, Microsoft, Kx and Allstate.

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Published on: 8th June 2017