Area Tech Startups Primed for Fourth Installment of Austin Startup Games

AUSTIN, TX--(Marketwired - Jan 20, 2015) -

What:
Austin Startup Games

When:
Saturday, Jan. 24
1 p.m. Registration
1:45 p.m. Opening Ceremonies

Where:
Vintage Innovations' Innovation Station
300 Pressler St.
Austin, Texas

Some of Austin's brightest minds in technology will take a day off from innovating to team up, compete for glory and support local charities in the fourth annual Austin Startup Games. The vaunted competition between an array of entrepreneurs and startup employees is set to take place Saturday, January 24, at Vintage Innovations' Innovation Station.

The single-day showdown of wits, speed and determination has grown tremendously over the past three years, having raised more than $105,000 for local charities in the Austin area. The organization is now building on that success by beginning to test the waters of expanding to other markets, with talks in the works for future Startup Games in Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles.

As in past years, Austin Startup Games will award gold, silver and bronze winners in quintessential startup games, including Ping Pong, Foosball, Beer Pong, Flip Cup, Pop-a-Shot, Darts, Shuffleboard, Connect Four, Trivia and an always-anticipated mystery event. A giant game of Liar's Dice between startup CEOs will be the crown jewel of the competitive festivities. The team with the highest aggregate score across all events will be declared the winner, although all participants are guaranteed to walk away with newly-developed networking relationships and unforgettable experiences.

New this year, an app for in-event display and tablets that track the leaderboard, scores and brackets will make the tension and rivalries even easier to follow and harder to ignore.

"We can't wait to see what outcomes and drama this year's Startup Games have in store," said Gillian Wilson, president, Austin Startup Games. "When you bring together some of the most energetic, sharp, fun-loving people that Austin has to offer and pair them with a great cause, our entire community comes out that much stronger."

All competing teams play on behalf of a non-profit organization of their choosing, preferably for a cause that has significant collective meaning to their team. Each non-profit is guaranteed to receive a portion of money raised, with the largest percentage going to charities represented by the first and second place teams. SpareFoot, champions last year and in 2013, and 2012 champions uShip will again test their mettle against three other Startup Games challenger alums and a wave of fresh rookie talent.

The current field of startup teams, including each company's respective choice of charity:

• ATX Seed Ventures - Charity: The Bunker, Austin

• Boundless Network - Charity: Meals on Wheels

• Buzz Points - Charity: Wounded Warrior Project

• Capital Factory - Charity: Breakthrough Austin

• Civitas Learning - Charity: Center for Child Protection

• Headspring - Charity: Lifeworks

• Home Improvement Leads - Charity: Wikipedia

• OneSpot - Charity: Urban Roots

• OutboundEngine - Charity: Safe Place

• RideScout - Charity: Team Red, White & Blue

• SpareFoot - Charity: Kure It

• theCHIVE - Charity: Chive Charities

• TrendKite - Charity: Toast the Cure

• uShip - Charity: Communities In Schools

• WP Engine - Charity: Austin Pets Alive

The opening ceremonies of Austin Startup Games kick off at 1:45 p.m. CST, complete with soaring doves, a surprise torchbearer and a trumpeter for revelry. Registration begins at 1:00 p.m. at the Vintage Innovations Innovation Station located at 300 Pressler St. Members of the general public are encouraged to join in the fun for a modest admission price of a $10 charitable gift, which will be distributed to the charitable organizations represented, plus a canned good given to the Capital Area Food Bank.

For more information about the competing companies, sponsors, history and future events, visit startupgames.com/cities/austin, check out Startup Games on Facebook or follow on Twitter @StartupGames.

If you live outside of Austin or know someone interested in bringing Startup Games to another city, please get in contact via startupgames.com/organizers.

About Startup Games:
Startup Games unites high-growth tech companies in friendly competition to build great cultures while giving back to their local communities. Our vision is to have the top 20 startup communities in the world compete in an Olympics-style event crowning an annual world champion, with the goal of raising $1,000,000 per year for charity. We like to have fun and do awesome things.