Outdoors, education and security tech all walked away as winners at the second annual Westside Pitch competition.
The event had six early-stage companies pitching their ideas to a panel of investors. The founders were vying for cash awards and legal services. A total of $12,500 was awarded.
Here’s who won:
- Fridie Outdoors, an app that helps people access camping and outdoor information while offline to help more people get outside, took home first place.
- Finnegan the Dragon, a character and music-based learning tool to help children with language development, was second place.
- UpSight Security, a cybersecurity company aimed at helping protect PC gamers’ online accounts from takeover attacks, was third place.
“I am so proud of the talented entrepreneurs here in Washington County,” said Laura Kubisiak, organizer of the competition and the Westside Venture Catalyst, in a written statement. “The variety and ingenuity of ideas presented at the startup competition really showcase the big ideas coming from our local community.”
Kubisiak is part of a statewide catalysts network that support 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.
The finalists for this event all worked with Kubisiak to refine their pitches. The event is one of several local competitions that offer founders a place to pitch as well as gain visibility for their ventures. Finnegan the Dragon is in the current class of the Beaverton Startup Challenge run by the Oregon Startup Center. Fridie Outdoors also participated in this year’s PitchBlack event.
The Westside Pitch is sponsored by the cities of Hillsboro, Tigard, Tualatin, Beaverton and Sherwood; PGE; Washington County; Buchalter; Columbia Bank, Blizzard Wines and TiE Oregon.
