The Alpharetta Business Association will hold their 1st Startup Technology Showcase on Friday, August 28 in conjunction with the 2015 ABA Business Expo.

Reflecting Alpharetta’s status as “Technology City of the South,” the Startup Technology Showcase features some of Alpharetta’s hottest startups exhibiting their technologies and showcasing their companies.

Before the ABA Business Expo opens at 10:30 AM, all Startup Technology Showcase participants will pitch publicly to a panel of veteran entrepreneur/coaches at 9:00 AM. Expo attendees are encouraged to come early, prior to the Expo opening, to see this event. After the Expo doors open at 10:30 AM, these same start-ups will be exhibiting during the Expo to demonstrate their technologies and make connections with the wider business community.

“Our Start-up Technology Showcase is unprecedented and unique to business expos in our region, giving attendees a peek at Alpharetta’s burgeoning technology scene,” said John Ray, ABA Board Member and Owner of BookKeeping Express. “Beyond giving these startups broader exposure generally, one of the goals we have at the Alpharetta Business Association is to make connections between these promising companies and the wider business community. We believe these links can help both of these communities, and the ABA is delighted to help foster such contacts.”

The Startup Technology Participants are:

•  Cause Local – Cause Local is a software platform which connects people’s core causes to business brands, products and services, helping those businesses facilitate targeted, effective local promotions which both improve sales and build brand impact.

•  CrowdClap – CrowdClap’s software application enables fans and participants traveling to particular venue or event to find the best accommodations, food, and local attractions near that destination.

•  Firstly – Firstly enables small and medium sized businesses the ability to capture employee knowledge and company processes in step by step guides, thereby documenting their business processes easily and simply.

•  Iolux – Iolux has developed the world’s first hands-free dental operatory lamp, which automatically points light where needed, is germ-free, and reduces repetitive stress injuries to dentists.

•  Lease Ninja – Lease Ninja is an online lease and contract management system that focuses on managing agreements from the perspective of the lessee

•  MotivDeals Fundraising – MotivDeals offers a digital version of plastic cards sold by sports teams and school fundraisers, but gives participating businesses the ability to create and manage their own specialized deals.

•  ParkENT Cycles – ParkENT Cycles has developed an electronic bicycle rack which locks the wheel and frame of a bicycle with metal bars, supplying secure bicycle parking infrastructure to prevent theft.

•  Qwyvr – Qwyvr operates a virtual debit payment system which significantly lowers costs to merchants, gives consumers one-click payment capability, and offers much better fraud protection than the traditional card payment system.

•  readyInnovations – readyInnovations provides secure text messaging solutions for the healthcare industry, offering advanced routing features which allow clinicians to quickly and securely communicate.

The panelists for the ABA Startup Technology Showcase are:

Susan Nethero – As Founder and CEO of Intimacy Specialty Stores, Susan built this specialty lingerie retailer into a chain of 18 stores in major markets across the USA and grew revenues to $38 million prior to a successful sale of the company. Prior to that, she had a 20 year career as a corporate marketing executive with several world class companies. Susan is extremely active in supporting women entrepreneurs through board service, mentoring, and angel investing.

Brock Kolls – As an entrepreneur, Brock’s experience includes development of wireless cashless payment technology for the vending industry through USA Technologies. He subsequently led the engineering team which developed Coca-Cola’s Freestyle Fountain Dispenser, after which he led the company’s Open Innovation program. Brock’s latest project is GR8 Big Ideas, which seeks to overcome innovation challenges in large companies by connecting the corporate, entrepreneurial, and investing communities in one online platform.

Larry Duckworth – Larry is CEO in Residence at EGL Holdings, an Atlanta-based merchant banking and advisory firm. He has more than 20 years of C-suite experience leading both rapidly growing companies as well as turnarounds in diverse industries. He is the author of Primordial Leadership and has an extensive background in executive and leadership coaching and strategic advisory work.

The Startup Technology Showcase pitch event will begin at 9:00 am. After the ribbon cutting with Alpharetta Mayor David Belle Isle at 10:30, the Expo itself will open its doors and remain open until 3:00 pm. All events are free to the public.