Velco's connected handlebar for cyclists wins LaunchIt pitch event for startups at CES

Sixth edition of ShowStoppers® LaunchIt, Official event for Eureka Park exhibitors, pitches the most-investable ideas, entrepreneurs & companies

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Angel investors and venture capitalists selected the most investable startup from 12 finalists representing  the hottest companies that took the stage at  the sixth annual ShowStoppers® LaunchIt, the official "pitch" event for startup companies that exhibit at Eureka Park during CES 2018.

The winner is Paris-based Velco, which designs and sells solutions for smarter, personalized urban mobility, including the Wink Bar, the first connected handlebar. Designed for bike delivery services, tourists and every-day bikers, the Wink handlebar integrates 224 Lumen headlights that switch on automatically when it becomes dark; connects to an app for navigation, signaling turns to riders and drivers; connects to mobile phones for incoming calls and messages; and alerts riders to potential theft, with tracking if the bike is stolen. An app also tracks ride history and statistics. The company is preparing for its second round of financing, seeking $2 million.

Velco will exhibit and meet with more than 1,300 journalists expected to attend ShowStoppers @ CES, the press event, tonight, 9 January at the Wynn Hotel.

"ShowStoppers LaunchIt", a CES 2018 Media Day Power Session, took place January 8, at Mandalay Bay.

Working with the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), ShowStoppers LaunchIt helps entrepreneurs and startups raise early seed capital by selecting from the more than 900 young, innovative, transformative and entrepreneurial startups that exhibit in Eureka Park, a marketplace within CES where retailers, venture capitalists, manufacturers and others will find entrepreneurs launching new products, services, apps and ideas.

The finalists were:

• Athom, Enschede, Netherlands -- maker of Homey, the heart of the smart home.
• Big Boy Systems, Wavre, Belgium – which developed and patented a camera and audio system made to see and hear like a human, recording in 3D and streaming content to VR headsets – used for surgery, psychology, technical training, education and entertainment.
• Cardiomo Care Inc., New York City – maker of wearable technology and an analytics platform for heart disease prevention.
• Cinema Snowglobes, San Francisco – the beloved nostalgic snowglobe, reinvented for the 21st Century.
• Cubomania, Mykolaiv, Mykolaivs'ka oblast, Ukraine – interactive cubes to help children develop motor skills, logic, mathematics, financial literacy.
• Pebby Corp., Sunnyvale, CA – a robotics company that strengthen the bonds between pet parents and pets, anytime, anywhere.
• Picoo, Eindhoven, Netherlands – a robust, no-screen handheld that uniquely combines what kids love: interactive technology and active play.
• Robomart, Santa Clara– a fleet of on-demand, autonomous, self-driving stores for grocery retailers.
• SolarGaps, San Francisco– solving the world's energy crisis with a network of distributed-energy solutions for Smart Cities.
• We.Stream, Amsterdam – which provides secure mobile WiFi hotspots with embedded Cloud SIM technology to enable unlimited data in 100+ countries.
• Zhor-Tech, Nancy, France – which pioneers smart shoes.

This year's judges were:

• Nicholas Zaldastani, managing director, Zaldastani Ventures and a Mentor Capitalist leveraging his venture capital and serial entrepreneurial experiences.
• Marita McGinn, manager of hardware products, Indiegogo, an international crowdfunding platform.
• Sharona Justman, a businesswoman known for connecting companies and leaders to align in creating rich opportunities for business. She co-founded STEP Strategy Advisors, an advisory firm focused on technology and consumer products providing strategic planning and acquisitions advisory to facilitate expanding the growth of companies through market entry expansion planning and execution.
• Arthur Rubinfeld, former chief creative officer and president, Global Innovation and Operational Lead of Starbucks Reserve Roasteries for Starbucks Coffee and Founder of AIRVISION. Rubinfield is the author of Built for Growth: Expanding Your Business Around the Corner or Across the Globe.