FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Sally Aman
202-262-8003
aman@a2pr.com
November 23,2015
Detroit Startup Wins Third Place in Mobileys Competition
Pro: Up Web App Wins Funding in National Innovation Challenge
Washington, DC – Today, Mobile Future announced the winners of its annual mobile innovation competition, the Mobileys, which recognizes early-stage wireless apps, services and products that have the potential to make the world a better place.
Each entry was evaluated by a blue-ribbon judging panel of distinguished individuals from the worlds of tech, mobile, venture capital, government, and entertainment.
The winners of the 2015 Mobileys competition are:
- First Place:CureSearch CancerCare - Bethesda, MD
- Second Place:SPROKIT - San Francisco, CA
- Third Place:Pro: Up - Detroit, MI
- The “People’s Choice Award”: FoodShare - St. Louis, MO
This year, third place went to Pro: Up, a web app that matches high school students to educational and career development opportunities like classes, summer programs, internships, and jobs. Designed by high school counselors in Detroit, MI,Pro: Up is dedicated to ensuring that all students, no matter how they are socially situated, can discover the opportunities they need to ignite their passions and define their careers.
“Pro: Up reaches students where they are, in the medium they’re most responsive to. We’re fundamentally changing how resource providers deliver - and how students and educators receive - information about valuable opportunities,” said Justine Sheu, CEO and co-founder of Pro: Up. “Being recognized by a national competition like the Mobileys is a great opportunity for us. In addition to the prize money, the Mobileys will help us gain greater national exposure, which will enable us to impact more students’ lives.”
In its third year, the Mobileys saw its strongest applicant pool yet with game-changing innovations that provide mobile solutions to a range of societal issues, from healthcare to education to reducing recidivism to fighting hunger. Pro: Up was one of four finalists hailing from the state of Michigan, including strong contenders Companion, a personal safety app, StartDOT Handwriting, a mobile learning tool, and SPLT, a mobile carpool service. Pro: Up takes home $2,500 in prize money as the third place winner.
“Pro: Up is an inspiring example of the promise mobile technology holds for serving as a great equalizer, especially for our young people,” said Monica Martinez, a former commissioner with the Michigan Public Service Commission who currently serves as an advisor to Mobile Future. “This award-winning app is a great testament to the creativity and innovation that is fueling Detroit’s emergence as a national tech hub.”
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