“For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument, debate.”
We started The Austin Space to inspire community members to think differently, to innovate, and to interact with others. We wanted our space to be more than a space - we wanted to build a thriving ecosystem of like-minded passionate individuals.
From the get go - Forest Hills, Queens isn't usually thought of the hotspot for budding products and ideas. We take our meetups, community events, and even individual tours very seriously as these are the moments when we get to know the community and for the community meet each other.
Since the inception of the space, we have built so many great connections with those in the local community. Last night, on February 16, 2017, we hosted our first startup pitch night at The Austin Space.
It's exciting when some of our very own coworking members take the stage. They were able to showcase their products and companies.
Milly Bot: Our member, Dave Luke, presented the Milly Bot - a messenger bot for users to get advice and recommendations on local food and drink spots. Dave demoed the bot, which works by the user asking a question relating to food and receiving a variety of responses. The responses include a Yelp suggestion and an option to ask a live expert. Experts are people who are local to that particular neighborhood and will be alerted instantly, allowing them to reply to the recommendation questions. The audience saw this as a great alternative to getting quick recommendations as opposed to searching endlessly on Yelp or Google.
TrakBelt360: One of our huge supporter and fan from the start, Chris Landano, presented his patent pending utility belt, TrakBelt360. The TrakBelt360 is the first utility belt that lets you rotate tool pouches around your waist for safety, comfort and complete versatility. Chris brought in a prototype of one of the belts and walked everyone through the process of coming up with an idea to manufacturing the product.
FunkyFloss: Joshua Belke, one of our coworking members, presented Funky Floss - a fun and new take on flossing. Funky Floss is a product that Josh has been working on for many years. He brought in a samples of the floss for everyone to try and the feedback was extremely positive. Josh's take on the product is to build an easy way to develop good habits while having fun.
Crowquetica: Veronica Nizama, a member of our space, showcased her soon-to-be live action adventure game. She told the story of the game and inspiration behind it. Her presentation had graphics and animations from the game as well as explain how lucrative the game industry is. Veronica is currently working on a Kickstarter campaign to fund the design and development of the game.
Crossover: Joseph Marasigan, one of our newer members, presented Crossover, a new take on recruiting for remote positions. Crossover not only connects companies to the best talent from around the world, but also provides a seamless end-to-end solution for remote team management.
It was a huge success! Thank you all for coming.