Jeenie Sees Their Wish Come True at Startup of the Year’s SXSW Virtual Pitch Competition
SXSW may have had to cancel this year’s festivities, but on St. Patrick’s Day the startups from Startup Night SXSW were still given their chance to win themselves a pot o’ gold as part of our Startup of the Year Virtual Pitch Competition.
In front of thousands of viewers (throughout the event), 14 rising startups from across the country competed for up to $10K in potential investment from Established Ventures, American Airlines Business Extra points, a fast-track spot to our 8th Annual Startup of the Year event, and, last but not least, the coveted Startup Night SXSW golden microphone trophy.
All in front of an expert panel composed of 30 industry leaders:
Carolyn Rodz; Founder and CEO, helloalice.com
Brent Wistrom; Senior Editor, American Inno
Ronnie Johnson; VC Analyst, CEAS Investments
Dan Myers; Managing Director, Lighthouse Labs
Cezara Windrem; Head of VR, AARP Innovation Labs
Sarah Kunst; Managing Director, Cleo Capital
Dr. Richard Munassi; Director, Tampa Bay WaVE
Lisa Besserman; Head of Program, Incubator, Indeed
James Phelan; Multiple Hat Wearer, Founder Institute, Startup Grind, Plasyn
Aisha Lewis; Director of Strategic Programs, Notley Ventures
Lesa Mitchell; Managing Director, Techstars
Alex Euler; Investment Director, CIT GAP Funds
Lawrence Johnson; SVP & Head of Fintech Engagement, Morningstar
Danielle Hill; Chief Operating Officer, The Riveter
Peter Hughes; Chief Technologist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Kerry Rupp; General Partner, True Wealth Ventures
Laura Hill; Angel Investor, Southwest Angel Network & 37 Angels
Jose Vieitez; Co-Founder & Director, Boomtown Accelerators
Amy Hopper; Program Officer, Winrock International
Thomas Flake; Serial Entrepreneur & Investor
Conor Cawley; Senior Writer, Tech.co
Kira Blackwell; iTech Program Executive & OCT Innovation Lisason, NASA
Matt Blomstedt; Managing Partner, SpringTime Ventures
Jennifer O’Daniel; Investment Director, CIT GAP Funds & MACH37
Whurley; General Partner, Ecliptic Capital
Lindsay Eulenfeld; Senior Director of Operations, Mass Challenge Texas
Joe Merrill; Partner, Sputnik ATX
Katherine Milligan; Chief of Staff, Start Co.
George Moncrief; Tech Scout & Innovation Manager, AFWERX
Gordon Finnegan; Principal, Harbor Light Capital Partners
Only one, however, was able to reach the end of the rainbow: Jeenie, a 24-hour digital marketplace that provides on-demand access to live, human language experts for interpreting help and cultural advice.
“We are humbled to be recognized by such an esteemed panel of judges, particularly given the quality of the other startups with whom we competed,” CEO Kirsten Brecht Baker told us upon hearing the results. “We plan to honor our victory by making a significant impact in healthcare interpreting at this significant time.”
Rounding out the Top 5 were: EarBuds, which helps music curators engage with their followers by sharing what they’re listening to in real-time; CanaAIry, which uses machine learning to build a biomarker for managing chronic respiratory disease using the sound of one’s voice; Collective Liberty, whose mission is to eradicate human trafficking by collaborating across industries, agencies, and service providers; and CarpeDM, a dating app with a patented video-first matching process.
Meanwhile, the People’s Choice Award went to ConverSight.ai, which delivers proactive business insights through a proprietary conversational AI-based intelligence platform.
If you missed it, you can watch the pitch competition in its entirety here: https://soty.link/03172020 And while you’re there, subscribe to the Established YouTube channel for future live events like this one.
Established (the power behind Startup of the Year) is currently accepting applications for the 2020 Startup of the Year competition. 10 early applicants will have the chance for a fast-track spot as a Top 100 Semifinalist in our 8th Annual Startup of the Year Competition. Check eligibility, and apply here: https://soty.link/SOTY2020
This year, there is also a .US Veteran Startup of the Year category with a separate $10K non-dilutive cash prize. Learn more: https://soty.link/SOTYUSVET
