Dallas startup Rollout walked away from a small business contest with $50,000 Thursday night. The company, founded in 2013, provides mobile tools for architects and construction teams to access digital documents and drawings.
The construction industry might not be able to go completely digital -- brick and mortar is still key to a solid building -- but it can say goodbye to paper. That's the promise of Rollout, a startup founded by Matthew Hinson and Alejandro Jacobo.
The company wants to revolutionize the way architects and project planners build, through software that ensures they're never following out-of-date drawings.
With the 50,000 dollar grant from Comerica Bank, Rollout will be able to start testing the beta version of its software in 2015.
A New Blueprint For Business
Jacobo says Dallas is a great place to start because some of the largest construction firms are in Texas -- think Fluor Corp., in Irving and Balfour Beatty in Dallas.
“It’s exciting for us because we can revolutionize an industry," Jacobo says. "That’s what wakes us up in the morning.”
Rollout was one of nearly 130 startups that applied for the competition hosted by Comerica Bankand the Dallas Entrepreneur Center. After the four final startups made their seven-minute pitches and answered questions, a panel of 10 judges chose the winner.
Teams were judged in five categories for the competition:
· The Idea – what problem are you solving?
· The Product/Market Fit – what is competition and user experience like?
· The Differentiator – how are you different?
· The Team – how do the people that work for the company execute the vision?
· Overall Score – will the idea work?
Here's a look at the other three finalists profiled in the Dallas Business Journal:
· Glass Media Inc. – The Dallas-based company, founded by Daniel Black and Wesley Oldaker, was the winner of the social media vote. The company developed a cloud-based digital projection technology product for storefront glass and point-of-sale applications.
· LiveWire – The Fort Worth-based company, founded by Arman Bajwa and Aasim Saeed, provides a curated online marketplace to connect consumers with vetted and publically reviewed tax preparers, accountants and financial planners by phone and video.
· XOcur – The Irving-based company, cofounded by Jason Monden, created a platform aimed at helping users simplify choosing a cloud solutions and increase cost efficiencies.
