Thanks again to everyone who came out to participate or just watch, our special guests on the #internet2012 bus tour, and our sponsors.

The team started by recalling President Obama’s visit to the UI Pentacrest earlier this year. Although that was a huge social event for the campus and community, it was hard to find photos on social networks after the fact.

The team asked college students if they would like a way to save and revisit those photos tied to an event, and they said the answer was yes.

Shindigger.co allows the user to set up an event to be invite-only (like a neighborhood barbeque) or public (like a presidential visit) and attendee’s photos are visible to anyone in the event.

“Once you’re a part of the shindig, you can upload photos before the event, during the event, and after the event,” the team said.

Their revenue stream would initially come from users paying to print out photos as art on canvas.

“The idea of printing a canvas is by no means revolutionary, but we feel there’s something tangible about the experience that is enjoyable.”

The team said the app is already functional, and would plug into existing social networks.

The bottom line: “You’re not going to forget  your social events. Neither should your social networks.”

Ready to go in America

Ready to go will begin as a booklet given to international students as they prepare to enter the country.

It was inspired by one of the co-founders personal experiences. He said when he first came to the states from Camaroon, he didn’t know what to do when the police drove by.

“Think about you. Think of the first time you went to a small foreign country. How confused you felt.”

They said the target market is around 53 million people. Within the first year and a half, they said they would be able to recoup their costs.

They provided a breakdown of costs including printing, marketing and labor.

They said they plan to work with governments, immigration organizations and embassys to distribute the booklet.

Judge Curt Nelson asked why it was not a web-based or mobile app. The founders said the different technology platforms might not be the same across cultures, and a book format allows the reader to discover all the information in a certain order, not just what they search for.

The bottom line: ”We want to give you some insight into what you don’t know you don’t know.”

Tellmystory

One member of the team started the pitch by talking about his grandfather. The man had lead a full and inventive life to support his family, but that story wasn’t preserved for future generations.

Tellmystory plans to use video, audio and text to create a replayable life story.

“Let’s not wait for old age or retirement to start telling our stories. You can start today.”

A key part of the service would be the question generator, which might ask something like “Who was your favorite high school teacher and why?” The generator, which was described as “an automated, algorithmic Tom Brokaw” would interpret the answer and ask thoughtful follow-up questions.

The team said they would partner with assisted living facilities, estate planning services, and websites like ancestry.com to help spread their app.

The default setting would be for memories to be private, but moments would be shareable if desired.

They said they would develop different settings, so a person could use the app in solitude or assist someone else, if that person wasn’t able to use it.

The bottom line: “We believe that everyone has a story to be told, that needs to be told.”

Update: First place goes to Tellmystory, second to Ready to go in America, and third to Shindigger.co. Congrats all!

In the final pitch, you get five minutes to present and five minutes to field questions from our judges.  That’s not a lot of time to convey all the ideas that have been percolating all weekend.

Plus, there are some special perks on the line, including feedback from some internet heavyweights and tickets to Thinc Iowa. 

So how do you make sure your pitch is a standout? In the video below (hat tip: Silicon Prairie News), Founder Institute‘s Adeo Ressi says every great pitch includes the following:

My company, (company name), is developing (a defined offering) to help (a target audience) (solve a problem) (with secret sauce).

Get the full explanation below:

From Reddit, the “front page of the internet,” we’ll have Eric Martin, general manager, and Alex Angel, community manager. Under their leadership, Reddit’s massive community of users gathered in opposition to SOPA and PIPPA earlier this year, even going dark in protest on Jan. 18.

We’ll also have Ben Huh, CEO of the Cheezburger Network, and Robert Roderick, AgLocal‘s head of Marketing.

Additionally, members of the media stopping by via the bustour include representatives from Buzzfeed, Adweek, Forbes, DailyDot, The Verge, Waywire, Vice and Internet Assocaition.

So yeah. Lots of awesome.

They’ll be coming fresh off the Internet Uncaucus in Des Moines, hosted by Iowa startup darling Dwolla. The Uncaucus was designed to foster civic engagement and advance 15 non-partisan issues. A livestream will be availabe tonight via the Des Moines Register if you want to play along.

One more perk for the winning team: Of course, winning isn’t the most important part of Startup Weekend (think of the learning! The personal connections!), but for those who do, Silicon Prairie News has donated some tickets to their annual Thinc Iowa conference. Thinc Iowa will bring nationally-known speakers to Des Moines next week for two days of inspiration. Learn more about it at the Thinc Iowa website.

We’ll see how they change and evolve over the weekend–that’s half the fun!–but here’s where things stand now. Help us say hello to the four teams who are currently brainstorming like crazy for the weekend ahead.

Gift Wizard: A matchmaking service to help you find the perfect gift: instead of person to person, it matches person to product.

My Way to USA: A guide to help international students and recent immigrants get around their new homes.

Grocerylist.com: An app that helps you create grocery lists built on recipes and share with your friends.

Biography Builder: A way to preserve memories, one quick video at a time. Users could adjust the privacy so some are just for family.

Follow along all weekend on twitter at #SWIC and be sure to like us on Facebook.

All participants get access to www.stackd.com for ONE MONTH!

And for the top three teams, if you put together a business plan and submit it to the Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center by Nov. 15 and can prove that you will continue to pursue the project, you have a chance to DOUBLE your winnings.

FIRST PLACE: Gut Checker

$500 cash

2 months at a co-working space of their choice in the Corridor (Iowa City Co-Labs or Cedar Rapids Vault)

$200 in credits form Amazon Web Services

A copy of Recipe for Business Success by Curt Nelson

Gift certificate for a free consultation and 4 hour of work from At Your Service

SECOND PLACE: Localize Over Lunch

$250

1 month at a co-working space of their choice in the Corridor (Iowa City Co-Labs or Cedar Rapids Vault)

Gift certificate for a free consultation and 4 hour of work from At Your Service

THIRD PLACE: Rec Bob

$100

Gift certificate for a free consultation and 4 hour of work from At Your Service

ADDITIONAL MENTIONS:

Strongest contribution to science award: LabRat

Most compelling social problem award: Herd Story

Small business value award: Rise Above

Thanks again to all of our great sponsors, judges, mentors, volunteers, and attendees!  

Check out pics from the weekend by Fred Galoso with Stackd: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wayoutmind/sets/72157627679022249/