Tag Archives: Santhosh Devati

Preccelerator Mentor Spotlight: Santhosh Devati

santhosh devatiSANTHOSH DEVATI
Founder
Anamika Ventures

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Santhosh Devati is a dreamer, problem-solver, serial entrepreneur and a proven leader in the technology industry for past 20+ years. In his professional journey thus far, he has advised and created Business/Data Analytics/Technology Solutions for national brands such as Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle, Allergan and many more. In recent years, he has mentored 200+ business owners, startup, entrepreneurs and professionals to succeed in their pursuit.

What are you passionate about?

I am passionate about being a meaningful catalyst in helping individuals to succeed in the world of entrepreneurship and in realizing their dreams.

What one piece of advice would you give to an early stage startup regarding your area of expertise?

Research, Research, Research!

Defining a target market and focusing on the market opportunity is foundational to moving forward in business. Go in knowing that it will take research, tapping into hard data, and crunching numbers. Seek out experts and potential consumers in order to get to the heart of who your target market is and where there is the most opportunity.

One reason research is so important for entrepreneurs is that you might have an incredible business plan with great marketing and sales strategies, financial forecasts, and operational targets, but without defining the actual market opportunity within your target market, you are wading into unknown territory. That’s dangerous because it means your product or service might not be needed or even wanted.

Do yourself a favor and avoid the black hole of the unknown.

Lest you risk falling into yet another entrepreneurial abyss, take time to identify and communicate what sets you and your service apart from competitors.

What do you like best about mentoring at the Preccelerator?

Access to quality individuals who are driven, willing to learn and passionate to make an impact positively in the marketplace/community. More importantly, VIBE at the Preccelerator.

You’re Invited to Preccelerator Class 10 Demo Day!

Clear your calendar – It’s going down! The Preccelerator ® Program Class 10 Demo Day kicks off on January 23rd @ 6:00 pm, and you’re invited to take part in the festivities.

What a wild ride it has been! Preccelerator cohort companies are early stage, and we work hand in hand with them throughout their 6-month term to know their market and users, foster their leadership skills, build and test their product, avoid legal pitfalls, ensure the defensibility of their products, acquire users and partnerships and prepare them for the fundraising process. Now it’s time to showcase their efforts! Hear from an expert panel of judges about specific feedback for the companies and what it takes to be investor ready in the early-stage startup fundraising process.

 

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THE COMPANIES

Checkplis believes people should feel like they are visiting friends when they go out for a meal or drinks with their friends. It’s all about the experience. They are solving the last mile problem of the hospitality industry service. Whether a solo lunch, a brunch with girlfriends or a table with friends at a club, paying the check can ruin what otherwise would be a great experience after an amazing meal or drinks with friends.

Checkplis is a mobile app integrated into POS systems so customers can pay, tip and split the check themselves, all from their phones. They are strategic partners and experience creators for restaurant, bar and nightclub industry leaders.

Checkplis was founded by Abner Flores and is currently headquartered in Santa Monica, CA.

Visit www.checkplis.com

UNOMI is a SaaS for animators and video game developers. UNOMI leverages advanced, patent voice recognition and motion capture technology that automates a lot of the most time-consuming aspects of animation production. Our voice recognition software understands human speech in multiple languages. This allows animators to easily create the speech of multiple 2D and 3D animated characters and for some, UNOMI gives them the ability to create content on a daily basis. UNOMI’s motion capture software will give content creators the ability to easily track human movement within their home or studio, which will eliminate the need to rent expensive motion capture studio space and equipment. Large-scale animation studios will be able to drastically reduce costs allowing them to create more content in a significantly shorter amount of time. UNOMI will also be releasing an Augmented Reality and VR, 3D object plugin for Adobe software which will allow users to easily implement and animate 3D objects quickly and easily. Each UNOMI software will be intuitive, which will eliminate a learning curve for most users.

UNOMI was founded by Obi Onyejekwe and is currently headquartered in Santa Monica, CA.

Visit www.getunomi.com

StarMetrics is an entertainment analytics platform and suite of tools designed to make the casting, financing and forecasting process easier for content creators. With StarMetrics, users can easily discover new talent and understand the value of actors, directors and other entertainers across many data points, such as international appeal, social media reach, or box office impact. StarMetrics provides predictive intelligence and analytics that empowers creators, advertisers, investors and other stakeholders to succeed in an increasingly global and complex content marketplace.

StarMetrics was founded by Audrey Delaney and is currently headquartered in Santa Monica, CA.

Visit www.starmetrics.com

Screen Door Labs created ARescue, a team communication software built for first responders. The virtual command center shows commanders 2D and 3D maps, as well as geotags and video feeds from drone operators and other first responders. Boots on the ground can see virtual markers that lead them to their objectives. Running on tablets, smartphones, and several off-the-shelf AR headsets, ARescue allows first responders to work safer, respond faster, and communicate better as a team.

Screen Door Labs was founded by Kari Wu and Seth Persigehl and is currently headquartered in Santa Monica, CA.

Visit www.screendoorlabs.com

HaloLoop is the bridge between people seeking spiritual inspiration and spiritual institutions seeking people. They are a live-streaming spiritual marketplace that connects people to live spiritual experiences and spiritual institutions to people. They are solving a major crisis where the Religious Industry is experiencing a dramatic decline in attendance amid an explosive demand for spirituality in society. At HaloLoop they’re solving this crisis by changing the rules on how people and institutions engage each other. HaloLoop is an inspiring inclusive movement and community that is championing a new reality where everyones’ spiritual needs or aspirations to help others, can be met. Their vision is to create a loop where everyone can find their spiritual community.

HaloLoop was founded by Michael Hawthorne and is currently headquartered in Santa Monica, CA.

Visit www.haloloop.com

LOCATION

1316 3rd Street Promenade, Suite 107
Santa Monica, CA 90401

EXPERT PANEL OF INVESTOR JUDGES

Peter Csathy – Preccelerator BOD member. General Partner, SAM CREATV Ventures. Chairman, CREATV Media. Advisor, Strategist, Connector, Dealmaker, Investor, Producer, Writer, and Thought Leader — Entertainment, Digital Media, Media, Tech and Social Impact. Former CEO Manatt Digital Media, CEO Sorenson Media, CEO Sightspeed (acquired by Logitech), President Musicmatch (acquired by Yahoo!), SVP Universal Studios, New Line Cinema.

Scott Alderton – Scott Alderton is a founding partner of Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, Managing Partner, and a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee. Scott is the Chairman of the Preccelerator and General Partner of SAM CREATV Ventures. Scott is co-chair of the Firm’s Venture Capital and Emerging Growth Practice Group and chair’s the Firm’s Interactive Entertainment and Video Games Group. Scott advises both public and private clients across a number of industries, including technology, manufacturing and distribution of goods in commerce, finance, the Internet, interactive video games, and new media industry.

Santosh Devati – Angel Investor. Santhosh is a dreamer, problem-solver, serial entrepreneur and a proven leader in the technology industry for past 20+ years. In his professional journey thus far, he has advised and created Business/Data Analytics/Technology Solutions for national brands such as Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle, Allergan and many more. In recent years, he has mentored 200+ business owners, startup, entrepreneurs and professionals to succeed in their pursuit. Santhosh is a proud circle member of Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, SoCal Society of Information Management (SCSIM) and a Certified Business Mentor at SCORE Los Angeles.

Brett Munster – As Principal at Sway Ventures, Brett Munster focuses most of his investment activities on the seed and earlier stages for the fund. In addition to evaluating new investments, Brett’s responsibilities include coordinating the due diligence process across all investment opportunities for the fund, monitoring performance of the fund, modeling portfolio allocation, and working directly with many of Sway’s existing portfolio companies. Brett draws on his experience as a two-time entrepreneur and former operations executive to assist early stage companies in their growth. Prior to joining Sway Ventures, Brett ran day-to-day operations for AMO, a loss mitigation company, where he oversaw a portfolio of distressed assets that grew to over $2 billion. Brett began his career at zAthlete.com, a sports social networking startup that he launched during his final semester at UC Berkeley and sold in 2009. Soon after, Brett launched his second start-up Visual Icon, a platform designed to help bring Hollywood content online. Brett graduated from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and was an infielder and captain of the baseball team. He also holds an MBA from the University of Southern California where his focus was on entrepreneurship and technology commercialization.