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August 26, 2020 | Tom Ballard

Memphis-based SecondKeys wins annual “LaunchTN Pitch Competition”

SecondKeys, a Memphis start-up providing a property management platform that unlocks the true potential of proactive property management, captured first place yesterday during the annual “LaunchTN Pitch Competition” held as part of the “36|86 Entrepreneurship Festival.”

By winning the contest, Amber Hayes, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, is eligible for an investment of up to $150,000 from the Launch Tennessee Impact Fund. The company’s solution, characterized as “Rental Property Management Software Redefined,” reduces administrative tasks while also better serving tenants.

“Happy tenants stay longer,” Hayes (pictured right) said, and much of the turnover that occurs in rental property is because of inadequate or slow response to maintenance requests from renters. The company expects to onboard 30,000 rental units this year.

SecondKeys package provides features such as online payment of rents, maintenance and repair tracking, and predictive maintenance management.

Two of the other five finalists came from East Tennessee – CPR Wrap, the Chattanooga company founded by Felicia Jackson to help individuals be better prepared to administer CPR, and Winter Innovations LLC, the start-up co-founded by Lia Winter to commercialize EasyWhip™ device for orthopedic surgical procedures.

It’s already been a big week for Jackson who won $20,000 on Tuesday during the Nashville Health Care Council’s “Inspiring Innovation Pitch Competition.”

The remaining three were:

  • eva, a Nashville-based platform that provides a streamlined solution for booking entertainment and experiences for both virtual and hybrid events;
  • Filterjoy, another Nashville start-up that is a simple, fun description that delivers air filters to a person’s door when it is time to change them; and
  • Glanris, a Memphis start-up manufacturing a patented, sustainable filtration media that can remove organic contaminants from the water, similar to what activated carbon does, but in a way that also removes metals and at a fraction of the cost of other options.


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