Events highlights for the week of July 13 – July 19, 2009

For those about to party, we salute you.

Drop your networking plans. Leave your business cards at home. This week is about having fun. Saturday will see you through two geekified parties that are sure to be ‘off the hook,’ as those darn kids are saying these days.

Join 8Static for its first chiptunes and classic video gaming-inspired party since May. And if you’re not down to dance, Philly Geek Party launches its inaugural and hopefully monthly party for the nerds out there. Both should be a trip. That is, if the G Lounge just ain’t your style.

Earn that ‘five o’clock somewhere’ philosophy with a handful of other events happening throughout the week.

Wharton Small Business Development Center will host a conference call Tuesday afternoon to talk you through how it can help you launch your dream biz. On Wednesday, learn intuitive interfaces with a joint meeting of PhillyCHI and UsabilityNJ. Also Wednesday, Philly Startup Leaders will help refine DocASAP, an online doctor’s appointment scheduling platform that we covered last week, in one of its informative fishbowl sessions.

All events listed on the event calendar are free to attend. Be sure to check our complete calendar for more information, or follow us past the jump.
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Technically Not Tech: DocASAP is Open Table for doctors

A screenshot of DocAsap's homepage

Wharton student Puneet Maheshwari‘s child had an ear infection.

And, as any parent can tell you, hell hath no fury like a child sick. After combing through the Yellow Pages for the right doctor, Maheshwari was forced to go to the emergency room out of frustration and pay significantly more money than if he had found a specialist.

Like any good Wharton student, Maheshwari thought he could do better, and DocAsap was born.

The service, much like what OpenTable does for restaurants, searches for doctors based on criteria you define and allows you to schedule appointments with them. For example you could search for pediatricians that take Blue Cross in South Philly and DocAsap would give you all of the eligible candidates. Currently, the site only reviews Philadelphia-based dentists, however the site plans to expand to other markets and more types of physicians.

“We should have a really good coverage ratio in the Center City area soon,” said co-founder Vicente de Baca. After filling out the Center City area, DocAsap will then branch to the suburbs and, if everything goes according to plan, nationally. And unlike many Wharton grads, the duo plans to stick around for a while.

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NIR Diagnostic wins Wharton Business Plan Competition

Chris Schaeffer of Realistic Eye gives his elevator pitch. The company ended up placing third.

Edit: added RIMS video.

The main event was over already, but the eight hopefuls gunning for the Wharton Business Plan Competition had a chance to bag an extra $3,000 by convincing the dinner audience that they were deserving of the People’s Choice Award.

Each company sent a representative to the steps in the basement of Wharton’s Huntsman Hall to plead their case to roughly 100 attendees who may or may not have been taking advantage of the free food. Approaches ranged from the youthful, energetic charisma of StealthRowing’s Daniel Harbuck (covered earlier this week by TP) to the frank nature of Cuddlebot’s owner, who told the crowd, “we’d love your cash.” After the pitches were finished, the judges huddled to decide the grand prize winner as the audience members dropped ballots in a silver box carried around by the organizers sporting yellow ribbons.

Hours later, NIR Diagnostic came out of the four-round competition $23,000 richer, bagging the $20,000 grand prize as well as the $3,000 people’s choice award. The company is developing a wound diagnostic device that would bump accuracy up to an estimated 85 percent from 50 percent.

After the jump we summarize and comment on each company’s elevator pitch and tell you which one is most likely to lead to a Terminator-like future.
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