Mehdi Tehranchi could feel the warm California sun on his face as he approached the geometric building with sweeping lines and tiered balconies. Inside, it was even more impressive. Offices and co-working areas abounded, with many hallways and multiple floors to discover. Tehranchi approached a pair of men who were quietly speaking on a bench and said, “I’m here for the Startup Camp event.” In reply, one of the men said “Oh, we’re just waiting for some avocado sandwiches.” It was then that he realized these men were Plug and Play members waiting for their order from the cafeteria. Tehranchi, however, was on a different mission. As the CEO and Founder of Iyotee, Inc., he had been invited to speak about Go2s at a Plug and Play pitch session to some of the world’s top investors.
Plug and Play is a technology startup incubator situated in Sunnyvale, California, just down the road from Apple’s corporate headquarters. Founded by powerhouse entrepreneurs, the company hosts office space for burgeoning startups, runs accelerator programs around the globe, has on-site executives available for consultation, organizes pitch events, and more. Essentially, Plug and Play creates a pipeline where entrepreneurs with great ideas can meet the right people to fund their work.
Iyotee was one of a few select start-ups invited to a pitch session at Plug and Play. The atmosphere was bristling with energy as the presenters took turns in the spotlight. Joining about 20 other rising startups, Tehranchi presented for a challengingly short three minutes to over 40 investors from countries all over the world, such as Benhamou Global Ventures and Oriza Ventures. After the pitch session, the investors and entrepreneurs had the chance to mingle over lunch and offer feedback, trade tips, and discuss business solutions. Tehranchi described the event as a very welcoming place. “Everyone in attendance was ready to support each other and share knowledge and feedback,” he said.
Opportunities like this help the Go2s team stay excited about and ready for the future. After the Plug and Play event, Tehranchi brought back a lot of momentum to the team that continues to propel Go2s forward into what is turning into a huge expansion year full of innovation and creativity!