After big leads throughout the Final Four round, Durham’s Boostopia (15) and Wilmington startup Brilliant Sole (14) snagged their spots in the NC Tech Madness finals. Voting runs through Monday, April 3rd at midnight. Vote here.
It’s a unique match up because both startups are less than a year old, bootstrapped and run by serial entrepreneurs.
Boostopia founder Justin Winter co-founded and ran for five years a fast-growing home fragrance e-commerce company called Diamond Candles. Presumably, lessons learned there inspired Boostopia, which helps B2C companies improve customer support and success.
The software platform is still in beta, but according to the website, early customers have recorded fewer inbound tickets and experienced agents become more efficient at serving customers. Meanwhile, they’ve seen an 8 percent gain in incremental revenue. Boostopia has three employees based at American Underground in Durham.
Brilliant Sole, meanwhile, makes footwear equipped with sensors, motors and accelerometers that sync with a virtual reality headset and act as a sort of controller. The shoes allow for a more full body experience while playing a virtual reality game or watching a movie. For example, players can use their feet in a downhill skiing game. The footwear promises to eliminate the motion sickness that many people have experienced using virtual reality headsets. But it’s not yet available on the market.
Founder Jeff Guard previously founded Wilmington startups WhittleData and GuardianPay. He’s got a team of three developers/engineers building out the product.
Boostopia beat The Produce Box, which was a top vote getter in previous rounds. Brilliant Sole beat out Tom & Jenny’s, also a fan favorite throughout the tournament.
Check out the journeys of both finalists in the bracket below (click for a larger version). And vote now. We’ll announce the winner Tuesday morning!
