Red Rocket gets introduced to hundreds of startups each year, in the normal course of doing business, or via our involvement with FireStarter Fund, TechStars, Techweek, Founder Institute or other startup groups or events. We wanted to honor the best of these startups that we met in 2016, in Red Rocket's 5th Annual "Best Startups of the Year". This list is not intended to be an all-encompassing best startups list, as there are many additional great startups that we are not personally exposed to each year. And, this list is not intended to be only for businesses that launched in 2016, it is open to startups of any age, that they or their advisors had some personal interaction with us in the last 12 months. The business simply needed to have a good idea, good team or good traction, that caught our attention. Congrats to you all!!
THE BEST STARTUPS OF 2016 (in alphabetical order):
AirMule (CEO Sean Yang) - B2C P2P express shipping via travelers
Bright (CEO Jeff Judge) - B2B revenue analytics platform for SaaS companies
Brightwork (CEO Josh Carter) - B2B backend development as a service
Bucketfeet (CEO Raaja Nemani) - B2C custom canvas shoes
CarLease.com (CEO Tim Sperling) - B2C online car leasing service
ClassicCars.com (CEO Roger Falcione) - B2C classic car buying marketplace
Cloud Craze (CEO Chris Dalton) - B2B cloud-based ecommerce platform
Collbox (CEO Chad Shuford) - B2B bad debts collection platform for SMBs
CompleteSet (CEO Gary Darna) - B2C marketplace for collectibles
Crowdfind (CEO Jay Sebben) - B2B lost and found platform for venues
Dough/Tasty Trade (CEO Kristi Ross) - B2C investing platform for do-it-yourselfers
Dorm It Up (CEO Shanil Wazirali) - B2C ecommerce for college students
Drivin (CEO Kayne Grau) - B2B used car marketplace for auto dealers
EatPakd (CEO Rebecca Sholiton) - B2C healthy meal delivery for kids school lunches
FitReserve (CEO Megan Smyth) - B2C central boutique fitness reservations
Gesture (CEO Jim Alvarez) - B2B mobile bidding app for fund raisers
Jiobit (CEO John Renaldi)- B2C location tracking wearable for your kids
Keeper (CEO Darren Guccione) - B2B and B2C secure password manager for mobile
OppLoans (CEO Jared Kaplan) - B2C sub-prime consumer lending
Opternative (CEO Aaron Dallek) - B2C online vision testing
ParqEx (CEO Vivek Mehra) - B2C P2P parking spot reservations
PenPal Schools (CEO Joe Troyen) - B2C online global education across borders
PeopleGrove (CEO Adam Saven) - B2B corporate mentoring social network
PhysIQ (CEO Gary Conkright) - B2B human body analytics
PrintWithMe (CEO Jon Treble) - B2C printing stations in public places
Q-BBQ (CEO Michael LaPidus) - B2C fast casual BBQ restaurant chain
Reverb (CEO David Kalt) - B2C online marketplace for musicians
Rewards 21 (CEO Cary Chessick) - B2B employee and customer rewards platform
Rithmio (CEO Adam Tilton) - B2B motion recognition technology for consumer products
Routific (CEO Marc Kuo) - B2B route delivery optimization platform
Savo (CEO Jason Liu) - B2B sales enablement platform
SkyMedicus (CEO Amy Holcomb) - B2C medical tourism booking
Socedo (CEO Aseem Badshah) - B2B business demand generation from social media
Spacer (CEO Michael Rosenbaum) - B2C rent storage space or parking space from locals
Tempus (CEO Eric Lefkofsky) - B2B data-driven cancer treatment
TenantBase (CEO Bennett Washabaugh) - B2B small office space online brokerage
TurboAppeal (CEO Badal Shah) - B2B and B2C online tax appeal platform
Uchange (CEO Avi Kugel) - B2C P2P currency exchange between travelers
Urban Leash (CEO Lina Pakrosnyte) - B2C dog walking reservation platform
Virsera (CEO John Diefendorf) - B2B gamifying business objectives
Xensr (CEO David Troup) - B2C 3D analytics for sports
ZooKKs (CEO Kishore Kotapati) - B2C ride sharing platform for commuters
And, don't forget to check out the 2012 winners, 2013 winners, 2014 winners and 2015 winners, many of whom continue to be doing great things.
Congratulations to you all!! Keep up the good work.
For future posts, please follow us at: @RedRocketVC
Tempus (CEO Eric Lefkofsky) - B2B data-driven cancer treatment
TenantBase (CEO Bennett Washabaugh) - B2B small office space online brokerage
TurboAppeal (CEO Badal Shah) - B2B and B2C online tax appeal platform
Uchange (CEO Avi Kugel) - B2C P2P currency exchange between travelers
Urban Leash (CEO Lina Pakrosnyte) - B2C dog walking reservation platform
Virsera (CEO John Diefendorf) - B2B gamifying business objectives
Xensr (CEO David Troup) - B2C 3D analytics for sports
ZooKKs (CEO Kishore Kotapati) - B2C ride sharing platform for commuters
And, don't forget to check out the 2012 winners, 2013 winners, 2014 winners and 2015 winners, many of whom continue to be doing great things.
Congratulations to you all!! Keep up the good work.
For future posts, please follow us at: @RedRocketVC