Startup Success in 48 Hours: Team UpKeeper
HatchThis, a high-stakes 48-hour startup challenge, kicked off on Friday, March 28th, with 73 participants, including 36 entrepreneurs eager to pitch their business ideas. Among them was Tomer Shvueli, who had no idea what the weekend would bring. After the first round of pitches and a whirlwind of rapid networking, Tomer’s idea—an app to track costly home maintenance and appliance repairs—was selected as one of the top ten to advance.
After the pitches wrapped up and the winners were announced, the remaining 63 participants had the chance to mingle, network, and explore the various teams. This was a crucial moment to ask questions, understand each team’s focus, and ultimately decide where to contribute their skills. As Tomer scanned the room, he felt a surge of confidence seeing his own team begin to take shape. He approached the HatchThis organizers and said, “I’d like to move into a conference room and get started.” Internally, he added with a smirk, Okay, no take backs—I’m going lock the door and dive in. He saw the incredible talent around him, including Melinda Golden, Taylor Jackson, Paul Senatillaka, Karsten Rabe, Mitchell Metz, Mitchell Lane, and Rob Gage, and knew this team was something special. His lighthearted approach set the tone, and soon Team UpKeeper was formed, huddling together, ready to dive into their strategy for the next 48 hours.
The team immediately got to work, one of the few teams that night to hit the ground running. After a few hours of focused effort, many of Team UpKeeper headed to Hiwire’s Tiki Easy Bar to relax. It was meant to be a break, but the team couldn’t help but continue refining their ideas and getting to know each other better. Melinda Golden, initially concerned about the team being too tech-focused, was relieved to see how balanced they were. Paul Senatillaka, a senior engineer by trade, wanted to gain business development experience, so he shifted his focus from tech to dive into the Business Model Canvas and customer discovery. Even the more tech-focused members, like Paul and Melinda, recognized the value of branching out to help build a well-rounded team for UpKeeper. By Saturday morning, Tomer planned to be the first to arrive at 8:30 am, but all of his teammates were already hard at work, fully focused.
The team’s rapid progress was fueled by experience, with several members, including Taylor and Paul, having participated in hackathons before. Taylor played a key role in keeping the team organized and on track, ensuring focus and efficiency throughout the weekend. He was surprised by how quickly the team came together, with each member taking their role seriously and stepping up to contribute their expertise without hesitation.
During customer discovery, Melinda and Taylor spoke with a realtor who was initially excited about the app. The realtor suggested a new feature: “Instead of me just sending automated emails, I could remind buyers when it’s time to replace appliances like refrigerators.” The team debated pivoting to create an app for realtors but decided to stick with their original idea of helping first-time homebuyers track repairs and home maintenance. While they chose to stay focused on their original concept, they recognized the potential of the realtor’s suggestion and plan to incorporate that feedback in future updates—perhaps launching that idea in the coming years. It was the right choice—they won!
What’s Next for UpKeeper
After the win and a few hours to decompress, the team faced a new challenge: the name “UpKeeper” was already trademarked. They also discovered a 2010 patent for a similar app that had never been fully developed or deployed. While unsure of the patent’s validity, they plan to take some time in the coming weeks to investigate further.
Despite the hurdles ahead, Tomer Shvueli, Melinda Golden, Taylor Jackson, Paul Senatillaka, Karsten Rabe, Mitchell Metz, Mitchell Lane, and Rob Gage remained confident that the project was worth pursuing. The journey for UpKeeper is far from over.