TalentFlood

Winner, Moxe Business Plan Competition

Chicago, IL: TalentFlood, a new smart hiring software that uses a sophisticated algorithm to match employers to job seekers, was announced as the first place winner of the Moxe Pitch Event at the Moxe Launch Party in Chicago, IL, hosted by Entrenuity. TalentFlood’s prototype and business plan for their newly developed software was ranked by a panel of judges according to excellence in concept, presentation, professionalism and marketability. 

As a Chicago local, Angela Jackson presented at the pitch event and accepted the award at the launch party afterwards. “We’ve been working on this idea for a long time,” Angela explained. “Having sat through the intensity of investor pitches in the past and their subsequent grilling questions, I felt confident that our plan covered most of the bases. But, honestly, it was just fun to talk about it with people who have never heard of the concept or idea before! It’s revolutionary—and that makes me excited to share.”

The team of founders met 6 years ago in South Carolina and began developing the idea soon afterwards. Though life took them to various states throughout the years, they stuck together with TalentFlood because they knew it could change the industry. Whenever they talk with employers, investors or pitch event judges, they tell the story of the pain in the hiring industry. The process is long, there are too many resume results, it involves wasting much time and money, and often the candidate may be the wrong hire when all is said and done. If there’s a better way—one that looks at the company and the job seeker in a more holistic way and matches them based on the combined results—then TalentFlood wants to be that way.

What’s next for TalentFlood?

• Finish developing the working prototype—TalentFlood needs to gain capital to put the finishing touches on the first phase of the product, so they can start running matches and generating revenue.
• Raise venture capital for full product development—TalentFlood will develop the full product in the 2nd phase, which will allow for better interfacing, faster matches, and more industries.

About TalentFlood: TalentFlood’s product promise is that Now Employers Can Search Smart. The web-based software assures employers that interviewees are a good fitfor the position, even before they meet the candidate. TalentFlood is not a traditional Applicant Tracking System or resume screener—it’s more. TalentFlood assesses the candidate's temperament, experience, skills and education in order to match the candidate to the right role and company culture.Talent, as well, doesn’t have to be concerned about getting matched to jobs where employers have hired out of desperation. TalentFlood wants to ensure that the culture is an excellent fit for both parties.

 

 

One Last Prayer, The Movie

Duncan Legacy Fund Recipient

Congratulations to Duncan Loan Fund Recipient OLPFILM, LLP on the post-production phase of One Last Prayer. Written and directed by Myron Davis, One Last Prayer is a 90-minute feature film starring Broadway actor and musician Niles Rivers, about a hot-tempered father with a sordid past who learns that his daughter has a rare illness. Without resources to pay for treatment, he finds himself faced with a choice—return to life in the streets or continue on a path of faith. Davis’ vision is to “use the arts as a vehicle to reach the hopeless and give them Hope.” Davis and his team, Cinematographer, Jim Zunt, and Producer, Shay Hawkins, received Seed Capital from the Duncan Legacy Fund to help with post-production costs and to begin marketing to film festivals and distributors nationwide. The One Last Prayer Soundtrack, principally written and produced by Davis, a successful national recording artist, will be promoted along with the film and sold on iTunes, the movie website and at screenings.

WATCH TRAILER

 

Nurse 'N Go

Entrepreneur Angelique Warner

Entrepreneurs who want to grow their business need to stay on top of their game and pay close attention to the opportunities around them. Angelique Warner, inventor of the Nurse ‘N Go, hands-free breastfeeding solution, has learned to do just that with some great results.

At Chicago’s recent West Fest event, Angelique positioned herself in the middle of the Kid Fest section, right next to the kiddie train tickets and the hot dog stand, where she would be sure to be seen by her target market—moms! She was also seen by someone who had a connection to the founder of MommyCon--a nationwide convention series focused on natural and organic parenting. After a lengthy conversation and exchange of information, Angelique had a new contact and a promise that her information would be shared with the founder of MommyCon. Rather than just file the information away, Angelique was sure to follow up, and her contact came through for her. She soon received an email from the founder of MommyCon and an appointment to talk by phone. Angelique again followed up by email and phone, letting the founder know she was looking forward to the call and also as a reminder, which was a good thing—the call had to be rescheduled twice. However, Angelique’s follow-through paid off, and she eventually had a conversation with the founder of MommyCon, which led to an invitation to speak at their Chicago conference in March 2017 and share about her journey as a mom-preneur (see Angelique’s story here).

Angelique offers the following tips to other entrepreneurs from her experience:

• Follow through:“I always follow up with a phone call and leave a message. If it’s a cell phone, I also follow that up with a text. And I send an email. I always follow up multiple ways. That way they know I’m definitely interested and I’ve hopefully given them an easy way to communicate with me in a way they prefer.”
• Be flexible:“I originally thought MommyCon would want me to talk about my product first and foremost, but they really wanted me to share my story. I believe it’s important to be flexible and fulfill the role I’m asked to fill, because it’s their event, not mine. I still get to be in front of people. I still get to have a table and share my product. I believe inadvertently that will come back around.”

Through hard work, determination, follow-through and flexibility, Angelique is seeing her dreams for Nurse ‘N Go become reality.

 

Sidelined Chicago

Good City Entrepreneur Cade Pinalto

According to a new 2016 study, “The Odds of Success,” the probability of a high school basketball player in the United States becoming a professional basketball player is 1 in 11,771. It takes an extraordinary amount of courage and determination--qualities that are mathematically incalculable--to pursue and achieve such a dream, especially against odds like that. Generally speaking, the world recognizes the hard work and drive of professional athletes and lauds them accordingly.

But much more rarely does the world recognize the sheer bravery it takes to pursue a new dream, such as when an aspiring athlete gets injured and is unable to play anymore. For most people, this seems like a door to a dream slammed firmly shut. With the notable exception of events like the Paralympic Games, the world might hardly take a moment to mourn the ‘career that could have been’ before moving on, leaving those athletes and their dreams forgotten on the sidelines.

15 year old Chicago resident Cade Pinalto, a driven and passionate basketball player, could have easily been one of those lamented athletes-to-be in the byline of a local paper’s sports section after he was diagnosed with a heart condition in 2012 that meant he could not play basketball anymore.

“My world was shaken up,” says Cade. “I could no longer play basketball, and worse, that decision was being made for me.”

After a few difficult years trying to disconnect from the sport he loved but felt he could no longer participate in, Cade met Varsity basketball coach and English teacher Nicholas LoGalbo at Lane Tech High School. LoGalbo took the young athlete under his wing and showed him that he could still be involved in his favorite sport—as a coach. Cade learned that there are other ways for athletes to continue to pursue their passions that are just as necessary and rewarding as being a player and he began to build a new dream around his love of basketball.

In April of 2016, Cade got the idea to start Sidelined Chicago, a non-profit organization to help those athletes who are permanently unable to participate in their sport due to a career ending injury or other health condition. The aim of the organization is to plug athletes back into their sport through other avenues such as mentoring, coaching, sports photography, and sports journalism. Sidelined plans to connect each athlete with professionals in the field they have chosen and support that athlete throughout their new journey by helping them build and maintain relationships in the industry.

Through his mother, Christine Pinalto (co-founder of Sidelined Chicago), Cade met Jimmy Lee, the president of Good City Chicago and learned about their Business Incubator program. Cade ended up taking the StartingUp Now class, sponsored by Good City at the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce, facilitated by Angela Jackson.

"Cade is a prime example of turning a life disappointment into an opportunity.” Jackson praised the young entrepreneur. “Though he loved playing basketball, he saw that he was probably not the only athlete that had been sidelined yet still wanted to be involved with his sport. So his new business, Sidelined, will help other former athletes like himself stay involved in the sports world in a helpful and professional way. It's exciting to see youth like Cade decide to help others and fill the gap. I hope to see more high school students like himself overcome the obstacles in their lives by creating entrepreneurship opportunities!"

The Starting Up Now program provided Cade with a roadmap for success, helping him evaluate the current status of his organization and plan out how to successfully launch his business. His Facilitator was there every step of the way to answer questions and provide helpful advice, such as how to succinctly share his vision with the quintessential “Elevator Speech”--a thirty second sales pitch meant to share a product or service in an attention-grabbing presentation.

Due to Cade’s hard work, dedication, optimism, and his love of sports, Sidelined Chicago plans to officially launch in January 2017 with a $6000 fundraising goal. They are currently putting together a Board of Directors and an Advisory Board, working on sponsorships and grants, and planning fundraising events for the fall of 2016 so they can reach their goal.

Cade is encouraged to see how his business has grown since its inception and by how many people are on board with his idea and vision. For the future, Cade is excited to expand his business by building relationships with professional sports teams and companies so he can make a difference in the lives of sidelined athletes everywhere, and show them they can make a difference too.

“I wanted to create Sidelined Chicago because I don’t want any other athletes to feel like being sidelined has to be the end; in fact, it may just be the beginning.” -Cade Pinalto, co-founder of Sidelined Chicago.

You can follow Sidelined Chicago on their Facebook page to keep up with their progress and learn about future events and opportunities.