Hi 106’ers,

Thanks heaps to these four companies that demoed in OC last week. Great effort and thank you for sharing your projects!

Gamer Comps by 106’er Steve Schoenhals & Co-founder Chris Brockman

Gamer Comps is a tournament platform that enables mobile gamers to compete in their favorite games for prizes. The Gamer Comps team currently includes (Co-Founder) Steve Schoenhals and (Co-Founder) Chris Brockman.

Steve was a Professional Athlete that represented Nike, Spy Optics, and Sea Doo. Steve has three years of experience in the gaming industry. Chris has a BS in Management from Purdue University, MS in Applied Statistics from Depaul University, Five years of experience in the gaming industry.

Tommy Teaches by 106’er Martin Euredjian

“Tommy Teaches the Alphabet" is the first in a series of iPhone apps that take a novel approach to learning. Tommy's teaching approach is based on the idea that not two people learn the same way. Mindless repetition almost never produces the best results. And this is particularly true with kids. Tommy's teaching method was refined using a Genetic Algorithm (GA), which is a technique that allows software to find solutions to complex problems. Tommy is able to observe the student throughout the game and make small adjustments to the way the subject is being taught in order to maximize learning.

Additional apps are in the works to teach other subjects. Tommy's GA teaching method is also very applicable to adults. Plans are under way to create a series of apps for adults using this core technology.

FitAudio by 106’er William Flannigan

FitAudio believes in the transformative power of the personal trainer. We also believe in giving users choice, and in pursuit of that goal, FitAudio has designed a new, industry-disruptive mobile app and web-based platform that provides users a virtually unlimited variety of workouts.

FitAudio will partner with top trainers and budding superstars from around the world to create audio-guided workouts that combine the unique energy and actual voices of personal trainers mixed with customized music playlists. All workouts will be expertly guided by FitAudio-approved trainers who will provide detailed instructions along with words of encouragement to keep a user motivated. And because we understand the power of music, workouts will be made even more energizing when mixed with playlists either recommended by trainers or selected by each user from their own library.

FitAudio. Remaster Your Workout. Master Your Fitness™

1822 by 106’er Vincent Phuah & Team

1822 connects independent boutiques and alternative brands from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Los Angeles and New York. 1822 offers fascinating fashion designer brands in one stop easy to shop IPhone App. It helps private designers to sell directly to Asia.
These are the features
* Follow fashion designers.
* Explore styles and nearby boutiques
* Get latest sale from local boutiques
* Free Shipping
The team is founded by:
Vincent Phuah - Cofounder who has 8 years of software architecture experience.
Ben Lam - Award winning graphic designer.
Fredrek Choi - Stanford Masters graduate. 7 years of hardware design experience.

Meetup in Three Weeks
We are back in Santa Monica for our 2nd meetup in 2013! Save the date Feb. 20th. Sign up now. We will announce with more details when a venue is locked in.

Demos and Cocktails – Santa Monica

This month’s theme 106 Miles’ Women in Tech. Stay tuned for details.

106 Miles Member Spotlight – Politihacks by 106’er Craig Montuori

Here's what we were: PolitiHacks served as a political mentor to startup community VIPs. For a limited number of high-impact individuals, we'd read the political structure of DC, identify where the pressure points were, and design campaigns to hit the revealed big red buttons of politics. These individuals would use their existing broadcast capabilities to mobilize the larger community in turn. Focusing first on startup visa, we hoped to build that system out to break apart other political barriers to entrepreneurship, like access to health care and IP risk. While the VIPs appreciated our expertise, they didn't value politics enough to pay for these services, and we had no leverage because we had no independent base of support.

So, PolitiHacks is pivoting, courtesy of Chris McCann (StartupDigest) and Jonathan Nelson (Hackers & Founders). Focusing on a weekly digest, translating political news for startups. We'll be tracking the news coming from DC on issues that matter to founders, from immigration reform to email privacy and from SOPA to CFAA. Look to PolitiHacks to better understand what's going on in DC, how it'll affect us, and whose talk matters—and whose is just for press consumption. We're launching tomorrow, first digest will be going out, discussing the new COPPA rules, President Obama's upcoming immigration speech on Tuesday, and the three bills affecting startups on immigration—bigtech, techroots, and comprehensive.

will shortly have the landing page. In the meantime, subscribe for the digest here

ORANGE COUNTY

Startup Weekend is coming to OC – Twice!

Startup Weekend at UCI

University of California Irvine
C Student Center
Irvine, CA 92617
Friday, February 1, 2013 at 6:00 PM -Sunday, February 3, 2013 at 9:00 PM (PST)

Startup Weekend at Chapman U Enter discount code FRIEND for $20 off

Chapman University
Beckman Hall - 404
One University Drive
Orange, CA 92866
Friday, March 1, 2013 at 6:00 PM - Sunday, March 10, 2013 at 10:00 PM (EST)

Startup Weekends are 54-hour events designed to provide superior experiential education for technical and non-technical entrepreneurs.  Beginning with Friday night pitches and continuing through brainstorming, business plan development, and basic prototype creation, Startup Weekends culminate in Sunday night demos and presentations.  Participants create working startups during the event and are able to collaborate with like-minded individuals outside of their daily networks. All teams hear talks by industry leaders and receive valuable feedback from local entrepreneurs. The weekend is centered around action, innovation, and education.  Whether you are looking for feedback on a idea, a co-founder, specific skill sets, or a team to help you execute, Startup Weekends are the perfect environment in which to test your idea and take the first steps towards launching your own startup.

Our friends at Startup California OC are launching NextGen Challenge OC!

NextGen Challenge OC

A “First of Its Kind” Collaborative Funding Competition with Cash Investments and Prizes for Startups and Entrepreneurs!

• Have you ever thought about starting a business?
• Have you started a business and needed a mentor or advice to prevent you from making a mistake?
• Do you have a business ready to move to the next level but need capital?

Then you need to register for the NextGen Challenge OC, the signature event for Startup Orange County, to receive guidance on the key aspects to success in obtaining funding and what venture investors look for in startup business models.

Register here for this extensive two month program:

Participants Attendees

See you at future events!!

Grateful Thanks & Best Wishes!

The 106 Miles Crew