Founders Live hosted its first in-person gathering of 2022 on Feb. 24 in Seattle. For many who hadn’t attended a live event in two years, it was a welcome event.
“When it comes to startups, such a big part of our job is actually trying to connect with different mentors and investors,” said Miloshi Mehta, founder of 221B Analytics. “And that’s so difficult to do over a Zoom call, and half of the videos are off, and you don’t know who’s paying attention.”
Entrepreneur Nick Hughes helped launch Founders Live in Seattle eight years ago as a pitch event for entrepreneurs. Originally called Feature Friday, it has since expanded to nearly 90 cities across 25 countries.
Hughes stepped down from his role as Seattle city leader in 2020 to focus on expansion efforts for Founders Live. Amelia Marckworth, director of community at the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center at Seattle University, now oversees the Seattle arm of Founders Live.
Read more about the five startups who pitched last month in Seattle below. Dooeys, a sustainable shoe maker, won the audience vote and received $10,000 in AWS credits as well as the opportunity to continue on to compete in a future Founders Live Prime Time global event.
What they do: Educational analytics for individual students
Founder: Miloshi Mehta
Quote: “We are both B2B and B2C.” (consumers are parents and businesses are schools that use its dashboard and edtech analytics platform)
Related Coverage: WTIA picks 30 of Washington state’s ‘best and brightest’ tech startups for Founder Cohort
What they do: Sustainable shoes
Founder: Jordan Clark
Quote: “The fashion industry … is responsible for up to 10% of annual global carbon emissions.”
What they do: Sustainable fashion shopping
Founder: Amber W
Quote: “68% of Gen Z want to shop sustainable fashion only”
Related Coverage: WTIA picks 30 of Washington state’s ‘best and brightest’ tech startups for Founder Cohort
What they do: Mapping software
Founders: Melinda Haughey and Chelsey Roney
Quote: “Proxi is the Canva of maps”
Related Coverage: Proxi morphs from trick-or-treating tool to an ambitious mapping startup that just raised $1.2M
What they do: Blockchain-based energy exchange
Founder: Patrick Phelps
Quote: “Our app is now really the new power plant of the future.”
Related Coverage: A list of startups in Seattle building crypto, blockchain, and Web3 technologies