Yesterday, thirteen teams including the grand prize winners of the Indiegogo Transform the Smartphone Challenge and hackathons, spent time at our headquarters in Chicago. The teams pitched their Moto Mod concepts and business plans to a panel of Motorola, Lenovo Capital and Verizon executives to solicit advice and feedback, and for a chance to receive investment funding and eventual Verizon distribution. They also participated in lab tours and roundtable discussions.

The Results Are In

Lenovo Capital has selected two teams — Digiframe and MACAY TrueSound HiFi — who are eligible for up to $1 million in investment funding, pending the terms proposed by Lenovo Capital, due diligence and meeting Lenovo Capital’s investment criteria.

“Digiframe” – Andrius Valentukonis and Ilja Laurs

An always on sticky note that’s synced to your Moto Z, this concept instantly provides the info you need at a glance. From weather forecasts and traffic updates to public transit schedules and your calendar, endless content allows you to personalize your smartphone. Digiframe is powered by open web standards for third party widget developers, and because it’s magnetic, you can put it on the refrigerator and leave notes or a to-do list for yourself, family or roommates.

“MACAY TrueSound HiFi” – Abigail Brown and Yousef Alsayid

MACAY TrueSound HiFi interfaces with a digital-to-analog converter and analog-to-digital converter to provide audio input and output for your Moto Z. This winning concept from the New York hackathon is great for musicians and audiophiles, allowing them to go beyond the standard headphone jack with HiDef audio ports typically found in recording studios and expensive speaker systems that transmit audio to applicable headphones/speakers.

The New Moto Mods Accelerator Program

Digiframe and MACAY TrueSound HiFi, in addition to the teams highlighted below, will be enrolled as the first class in our new Moto Mods Accelerator Program. This program combines the resources of our existing developer portal with a more hands-on process to help guide participants from start to finish. We will help match make program participants with partners who specialize in engineering and design and can help facilitate bringing their idea to market. Concepts that complete the Moto Mods Accelerator Program will receive eventual distribution at Verizon.

“Ultimate Wireless Charging” – Michael Paukert

This “always on” concept offers the convenience of wireless charging, an infrared (IR) remote control and the look of a Style Shell all in one package.

“Keyboard” – Liangchen Chen and Hongbin Du

With a QWERTY slider keyboard, as well as a screen that can be tilted up to 45 degrees, this concept allows you to type long messages and edit documents on the go with ease.

“Edge” – Tom Kruszczynski

It’s hard not to get distracted by our smartphones with the abundance of info being sent to them daily. Edge allows you to see notifications around the edge of your Moto Z before touching or viewing the display. Easily assign notifications for specific contacts, social networks and email accounts with the color and pattern of your choice.

“Solar Z Charger with Battery” – Ivan Milutinovic

Whether you’re outside and away from a power source or always on the go, the Solar Z Charger with Battery allows you to wirelessly charge your Moto Z using the sun’s rays. This winning concept from our San Francisco hackathon requires no cords or software while taking up minimal space in your pocket or backpack with a thin design.

What’s Next

Stay tuned this summer for updates on the Moto Mods Pitch Day teams, and for more information about the Moto Mods Accelerator Program, including an online application process.

Remaining teams can continue to leverage the resources on our developer website to create prototypes and pursue certification. Those who need funding assistance can work with Indiegogo to launch crowdfunding campaigns. Indiegogo is closely partnered with Arrow Electronics, a $24 billion global technology solutions provider, to help campaigns become production-ready. At no cost to the entrepreneur, the program offers engineering feedback, design support and hands-on coaching, plus the power of IoT analytics and security service resources from IBM.

More than ten campaigns in the Transform the Smartphone Challenge took advantage of Arrow’s services to take their Moto Mods from concept to market. Building off of these early successes, all qualifying Moto Mod developers will have access to Arrow Certification on Indiegogo over the next year.