Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Safe-driving app wins Cox business startup contest

Get Started Las Vegas

Cox Communications

People attend Cox Communications’ second annual Get Started Las Vegas contest at the Palms on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015.

A Las Vegas mobile application startup that creates tools to prevent people from texting while driving placed first in a business-pitch competition Thursday night.

The contest was modeled after the hit ABC show “Shark Tank.”

After judges grilled six local entrepreneurs at Cox Communications’ second annual Get Started Las Vegas contest at the Palms, they awarded $15,000 in prize money to Text Safe Teens. The company also will be featured in a story on the website of Inc. magazine, a sponsor of the event. VEGAS INC was also a sponsor.

Text Safe Teens, which also won a local startup competition in July, is next turning its attention to obtaining outside investment and seeking to establish relationships with organizations that it sees as natural partners: schools, insurance companies and companies that manage drivers.

“It makes me feel great that we’re going to be able to help more people with this,” Leon Wilde, the company’s CEO, said after the event.

The finalists, selected from about 60 entrants, had about two minutes to make their pitches to five panelists. The judges included a senior editor from Inc., a partner at VegasTechFund, an executive from Cox, and last year’s contest winner, a Las Vegas-based entrepreneur.

The panel also included Daymond John, a host from “Shark Tank” and the CEO of apparel company FUBU.

The panel selected Lip Smacking Foodie Tours, which hosts food tours on The Strip and downtown, as runner-up. Judges graded the firms on three criteria: originality, the pitch and the potential benefit to the community.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy