Plixser Addressing The Pains Between Music Students & Music Teachers

Plixser, Memphis startup, everywhereelse.co the startup conference, ee2013

Plixser founder Marcus Wiggins pitching in video contest finals at everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference. (photo: Allie Fox for NMI)

By: Calvin Carter, University Of Memphis Entrepreneurial Journalism Student

Plixser, a music teaching startup, is hoping to expand nationwide from its base in Memphis.

Plixser is a software program that attempts to fix many of the headaches faced by music teachers and students. The program features a live-streaming function for teachers to give lessons to students online, an automated billing system, and the ability to track lesson completion.

Marcus Wiggins, a doctoral student at the University Of Memphis who has been involved in music since the 8th grade, is the founder.

“I know the pains of both the teacher and the student, and Plixser can eliminate those pains,” he said.

By the time you read this, Plixser will have already officially launched. It spent two to three weeks in beta, gaining a positive reaction from ten teachers and students so far, Wiggins said. But Wiggins will continue to spread the word about the music program outside of Memphis, starting with an upcoming event with the Texas Music Educator’s Association. He hopes to garner some interest from the crowd of 25,00 expected to attend.

In it for the long haul, it appears that Wiggins is already enduring the trying moments of being an entrepreneur.

“The sexiness of being an entrepreneur wears off real quick, especially when you get no sleep and are working all the time,” he said.

But Wiggins said he shares one goal of many entrepreneurs trying to solve a problem: going beyond just having a job. “I want it to be that this is who I am and not what I do,” Wiggins said. “…. I want to fund the life that I live.”

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Black Girls Code Shows Off At EE 2013 A Week Before Launch

By Calvin Carter, University of Memphis Entrepreneurial Journalism Student

Kimberley Bryant grew up in Memphis, but her startup, Black Girls Code, originated in San Francisco, where the biotechnology/engineering professional is currently based. The organization, which aims to teach young women of color ages 7 to 17 skills in computer programming and digital technology, has branched out to other cities before Memphis, including Chicago. It wouldn’t be until a local architect, Meka Egwuekwe, reached out that the startup would find itself in Memphis.

“I messaged her [Bryant] about it on Twitter,” Egwuekwe recalled.

Egwuekwe’s interest and involvement in the program—he has two daughters—has launched it from one-man operation in to a team of 20 to 30 volunteers.

Black Girls Gode has seen a lot of interest, and will hold a workshop February 16 at Rhodes University to help young women learn how to build their own websites. It immediately filled up with 60 participants, and a follow-up workshop is being planned.

Black Girls Code is another sign that Memphis isn’t as behind in embracing the 21^st century as some outsiders or even some insiders may think.

“People seem to have this stereotype about Memphis,” Egwuekwe noted. “They find it hard to believe that we have stuff going on here with technology. They still think that this is the Memphis of 45 years ago, or what they’ve seen in documentaries.”

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Women Rock The Startup World At Huge Startup Conference

By Tyler Stafford & Rachel Wilhite, University Of Memphis Entrepreneurial Journalism Students

The “The Kick Ass Female Founders from Everywhere Else” was a success at the Everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference in Memphis, TN. The topics discussed expanded on those typically covered in the male-dominated world of all things entrepreneurial, and this gave the conference a girl power kick in the khakis.

The panelists included Sarah Ware of Markerly; Wendy MacKinnon Keith of Digital Retail Apps; Kelsey Meyer of Digital Talent Agents; and Andrea Livingston of Grit Design, Inc.

Elizabeth Lemmonds, the Chief Brand Officer of Launch Memphis, moderated the event. Danielle Inez of Pink Robin Avenue provided the questions for the Q & A that followed.

One of the most provocative questions asked at the event was, “Can the woman entrepreneur have it all?” Panelists noted that one of the concerns shared by many women entering the startup field, as well as men, is whether or not they can have a family life with a partner and kids and juggle the numerous demands of entrepreneurial ventures.

In her tongue-in-cheek response to this query, Andrea Livingston said that nobody can have it all, but they can make it work regardless. “Our house is like a comedy of errors every minute of every day,” she said.

“No one can have it all, but you can have moments,” said Keith, adding that “it’s about quality of time; not quantity.”

There is a silver lining, though. Not only do entrepreneurs have the ability to create businesses, they can also create their own schedules and set their own priorities.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a woman or a man,” said Livingston, “you better show up and be ready to work your ass off.”

The Everywhere Else startup community is eager to collaborate together rather than compete against one another. Entrepreneurship is about taking risks, learning to accept failures and respecting others (as well as yourself) throughout the process.

Wendy MacKinnon Keith agreed that women cannot have it all, but that they certainly can have “moments.” She said that it isn’t just the quantity of time that matters, but the quality.

Women in Memphis looking for advice and support in their own business endeavors should check out Upstart Memphis, an organization dedicated to fueling women’s innovation and entrepreneurship at www.upstartmemphis.com.

For more information on the panelists featured, follow them on Twitter:@WareSarah; @gritdesign; @digitalretail; @DTAgents; @SocialDani; @elizlemmonds

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EE 2013: The only way to network is to get out there

By Laura Fenton

Brittany Fitzpatrick had to take a deep breath and make the first move.

“I’m an introvert,” said Fitzpatrick, founder and CEO of Mentor.Me. “I do have to
make a concerted effort to go out of my comfort zone.”

But by taking the initiative, Fitzpatrick has created and formed a team for her
startup, which will help match mentees with the right mentor.

Attending the Everywhere Else conference was not the first
event for Fitzpatrick and her Memphis-based team. She is a member of the the Memphis Seed
Hatchery Program, attends other LaunchMemphis events like LaunchLounge, and
started “working networking events” following the LaunchMemphis Upstart Memphis 48
Hour Launch weekend..

At networking events for startups, “you get access to people with complementary
assets,” such as web developers to balance Fitzpatrick’s communication and public
relation skills. Plus, “you get to see the innovations that are out there,” and get greater visibility,
which is essential for getting the ball rolling, she said.

What advice would Fitzpatrick give up and coming entrepreneurs? “Go for it. Put
yourself out there. You never know who you’ll meet.”

Learn more about Mentor.Me at http://mentordot.me or email
Mentordotme@gmail.com.

EE 2013: The only way to network is to get out there

By Laura Fenton

Brittany Fitzpatrick had to take a deep breath and make the first move.

“I’m an introvert,” said Fitzpatrick, founder and CEO of Mentor.Me. “I do have to
make a concerted effort to go out of my comfort zone.”

But by taking the initiative, Fitzpatrick has created and formed a team for her
startup, which will help match mentees with the right mentor.

What advice would Fitzpatrick give up and coming entrepreneurs? “Go for it. Put
yourself out there. You never know who you’ll meet.”

Learn more about Mentor.Me at http://mentordot.me or email
Mentordotme@gmail.com.

EE 2013: Get “in” with the InCrowd Capital

By Laura Fenton

There’s a funding gap, and Phillip Shmerling has the solution.

“Entrepreneurs all have one thing in common — they all need capital,” said
Shmerling, CEO of InCrowd Capital.

The gap between those who need money for startups and those who want to give to
startups is closing, thanks to the connections forged from the online crowdfunding
startup.

InCrowd makes it easier for startups to raise money from friends and family, as well as
angels. It simplifies the process and makes it easier
for founders to communicate with their investors with less anxiety.

So why choose InCrowd Capital for your startup funding needs? “Because great
businesses start here,” Shmerling said.

For more information about InCrowd Capital, visit http://www.incrowdcapital.com.