Lightning Pitch: Stand4 – Social network for social good

COMPANY: Stand4

ELEVATOR PITCH

We are the social network for social good.

PRODUCT/SERVICE DESCRIPTION

Stand4 is a social good technology startup headquartered in Boynton Beach, FL. On it, users will be able to take Stands for their favorite causes. Stand4 is the simplest way for you to make your mark on the world. No matter if you’re on the go or sitting on the couch, you can take Stands for your favorite causes. For every Stand you take, we donate.

Once the Stand is taken, the user will receive project updates that show the exact impact made so they can see all the lives they’ve helped touch, problems they’ve helped solve, and overall impact they’ve made on the world in one place.

Soon thereafter, users will be able to support causes in many other ways that include traditional support metrics (like donating, volunteering, or signing petitions) as well as entirely new ways to show support. Anyone who wants to make an impact can do so with Stand4.

FOUNDERS

Andy Hill, founder, CEO

Andy founded his first venture as a sophomore in college; a social media marketing firm that represented brands such as Domino’s Pizza. His firm averaged a 10x increase in brand awareness and a 15% reduction in marketing costs across the board. His firm specialized in converting social traffic to direct sales for their clients, providing a clear, measurable social ROI. He then moved to work on the Merchandising Strategy team at Office Depot. His teams’ newly implemented strategy achieved a $41.1M net benefit in 2012.

Education: MBA in Finance and BS in Entrepreneurship, Management, and Marketing; University of Dayton

Manish Hirapara, co-founder, CTO

Manish has spent most of his life enabling business through the use of technology. Beginning his career as a software developer, Manish spent much of his time in the late 90’s and early 2000’s helping startups rapidly grow and bring to market innovative software solutions. From there, he spent time learning scalability in the enterprise world, helping both the world’s largest mortgage service provider and the 2nd largest online retailer build their technology platforms from the ground up. In 2006, Manish co-founded and managed Enaptive, a software company focused on online and mobile solutions. Since selling the company in 2009, Manish has served in various senior product strategy and technology leadership roles for Office Depot. In addition, Manish has served in a senior leadership role to help launch several social and mobile startups, most recently as Chief Technology Officer at OneUp Games in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.

Education: BS in Business Administration, University of Central Florida 1998