Rise of the Rest Road Trip Puts Dallas Entrepreneurs in Spotlight

Dallas has become a popular location for startups in recent years, especially for Cameron Johnson, who secured $100,000 of funding for his company, Nickson, on Monday by winning a pitch competition put on by the Rise of the Rest Road Trip.

The tour, hosted by AOL co-founder Steve Case, showcases local entrepreneurs and stopped by the Community Beer Co. in Dallas to host its latest pitch competition. Johnson’s pitch for Nickson, which designs and installs furniture for apartment and home renters topped the rest of some of Dallas’ most prominent startups.

Preceding the pitch competition was a keynote address by Case and Dallas-based entrepreneur Amber Venz Box, the co-founder and president of rewardStyle who stressed Dallas’ reputation as a hot city for startups.

“That was awesome, obviously we had a great day,” Case said after the event. “DFW is rising as a market. There’s an interesting mix of businesses, a diverse mix of presenters and entrepreneurs, so it was great to see.”

Entrepreneurs had four minutes to explain the service their company provides and answer questions from a panel of judges, including Case, in order to walk away with the prize money.

The event was sponsored by the Dallas Entrepreneur Center (The DEC), a communal coworking space for entrepreneurs and startups in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.

Dallas was the first stop of the Rise of the Rest Road Trip, which will pass through five cities in five days this week.

The other seven companies to pitch included:

-Friendly, a digital health service.

-Deep Cognition, an AI development tool for businesses.

-Roomored, a virtual rendering customization tool for home builders.

-Rose Gold Dropship, a provider of inventory and supplies for beauty salons.

-CounterFind, a tool for businesses and consumers to prevent online counterfeit.

-PICKUP, a custom last-mile delivery system for furniture and appliances.

-Fetch, a solution for apartment buildings’ overcrowded package centers.