DartBoston was Pokin' Holes again last night

Last night, DartBoston, a Boston-based organization of young people helping one another start companies, celebrated its first birthday at Bocoup Loft, a web development startup in Fort Point.

The scene was celebratory, but it was still business as usual for the young entrepreneurs in attendance. Cortlandt Johnson, one of the co-founders, hosted the 48th episode of Pokin’ Holes, Dart’s signature online video show, which features a different local startup in each episode. The company on the hot seat for this go-around was Peekaboo Mobile, which we’ve told you about before, and as usual, the founders presented before the audience and then discussion was opened up to three panelists, who “poke holes” in the company and generate ideas for improvement.

The show, which was originally held weekly at bars around Boston, transitioned to a monthly format this month. Both Pokin’ Holes and Capitalize, another monthly show hosted by DartBoston in which an early-stage startup pitches their company to a venture capital firm, are live streamed on the Dart website. On average, 40 people watch the shows live online. Viewers can also participate in a live chat discussion while the episode streams live. One rule that DartBoston has stuck to throughout the past year is that the company founders have to be under 30. This gives young startupers a chance to gain both public speaking experience and publicity in a community that tends to favor and reward companies founded by more established entrepreneurs.

Peekaboo Mobile, whose motto is “where deals find you,” offers users local coupons that they can redeem via an iPhone application, and was co-founded by Mike Fruzzetti and Ben Dolgoff. Don’t worry Android and Blackberry users; they will soon have an application for you too. (more…)