A Gresham coffee substitute was the big winner at the Columbia River Pitch competition that saw founders from Multnomah County in Oregon and Clark and King counties in Washington vie for equity investment and in-kind prizes.
The event was the latest pitch competition organized by the entrepreneurial organization TiE Oregon. It was also the first time the group held what has historically been an Oregon-focused event in Southwest Washington.
Sip Herbals landed the big Seed Stage award securing $35,000 in investment plus $3,000 worth of legal services. The company, which has appeared on the TV show “Shark Tank,” makes a line of herbal drinks designed to fill the role of a morning cup of coffee but without caffeine and without the environmental impacts of coffee farming, according to the company.
Seed Stage runner-up was AirDeck AI, which makes software to add narration to demos or pitch decks. AirDeck secured a $25,000 investment.
In the competition’s Pre-Seed category the winner was Goddess Mousse with a $5,000 award. The company makes a line of vegan chocolate mousse. Founder Kellan Navarre was highlighted as an Inno Under 25 entrepreneur in 2021.
An audience choice award of $1,000 went to pre-seed finalist Oili, a Vancouver startup making an app for on-demand oil changes.
The event, that took place June 6 in Vancouver, is the second of three regional pitch events organized by TiE Oregon. The first, in April, was the West Side Pitch competition. The third event is slated for Nov. 13 in Clackamas County.
These three events replace what was previously one Pitch Oregon event. By splitting the event into three regional competitions TiE Oregon officials said they were hoping to better support founders needs.
