I was at TC Disrupt this week. A few observations:<p>1. The Soluto guys and UJam (runners-up) had the most polished, finished products.<p>2. The Soluto guys were completely at ease, had a good sense of humor, and had answers for every question asked of them. They also had funny, winning accents.<p>3. The Soluto guys were addressing a very clear pain point and had very strong branding, including the catch-phrases and slogans that accompanied their product "Anti-frustration software" and "Every family has a CTO. We're building this for them!"<p>4. There seemed to be a strong Israeli contingent at the event that were sold-out for Soluto. They were the only startup all week that always had a cheering section anytime they were mentioned. To the casual observer who doesn't know it's the Israeli contingent cheering, this can look like popular support and start to sway people on the fence. By the end of the conference, they were pretty much the only startup anyone would mention if you asked who they thought was going to win (YMMV).<p>5. Also, as one HNer pointed out shortly before the winners were announced, Soluto's presentation was the only one to inspire defensive questions from all the judges. Each one of them asked questions about how their business would impact projects and areas they were working in themselves.