A company that makes a smart menu system for restaurants was the big winner at the latest Westside Pitch competition.
The event, held March 10, had six startups vying for more than $7,000 in prize packages. The event drew about 80 people and seemed to meet people’s growing comfort with attending in-person events once again, said organizer Laura Kubisiak, the Westside venture catalyst.
Here is who took the three top prizes:
- Foodi Menus, which helps restaurants get their menus online, received $5,000.
- Radious, which operates a marketplace for people to rent private meeting or home office space from space owners, received $2,500.
- Prrl Labs, which makes a cannabis vaporizer designed to offer a better experience, received $2,500 in legal services from the law firm Buchalter.
Kubisiak noted that all six companies were strong contenders. The judges evaluated based on quality of information shared as well as quality of presentation. Judges also took into account how impactful the prizes would be to the company’s trajectory, she said.
The role of the Westside Venture Catalyst is part of a statewide network of support for entrepreneurs. The roles are funded through grants and operate under different fiscal agents. Kubisiak works through the TiE Oregon Foundation and she is funded in part by the Oregon Community Foundation, the cities of Hillsboro and Forest Grove and Washington County.
