Twelve incredibly talented and passionate women founders and CEOs pitched their businesses at 1871’s WiSTEM Showcase February 7, capping off the cohort companies' 12 weeks of intensive mentorship, programming and workshops aimed at accelerating their businesses. Click inside to see them in action as they pitch to a full house at their culminating Showcase.
The event was a showcase of the hard work of the third cohort of companies to graduate from 1871’s WiSTEM program, as well as an inspiring celebration of women entrepreneurs in Chicago tech.
Each company got four minutes to present their business in front of a packed house in 1871’s auditorium -- a chance to meet potential investors, stakeholders and business leaders than could take their businesses to the next level.
Tara Swords, founder of Olfactif, was the first pitch of the night. The company began as a niche perfume subscription service, sending curated, high-end fragrance collections to customers each month and selling the companion full bottles on the company's website. Other lines of business include à la carte samples for subscribers and non-subscribers, as well as a separate men’s subscription service.
Next up, Jamie Migdal, founder and CEO of FetchFind pitched to the crowd. The company is the world’s only integrated E-Learning and content marketplace for the pet industry. Courses like pet first aid, canine behavior and customer service basics turn pet enthusiasts into pet pros while pet industry businesses subscribe to FetchFind's content to train and retain staff. Behind all of this, FetchFind’s job board is a lead generation vehicle to sell E-Learning content while providing a valuable resource to businesses and individuals across the $63B pet industry.
Anitha Rao, CEO and co-founder of Neurocern, pitched her company, which is a dementia software solution that empowers family caregivers and hospital providers with neuroscience-based diagnostic and care solutions that are unique for each patient, resulting in improved health and lower healthcare costs.
Next, Carol Fowler of TheSocReports talked about her belief that social media isn't an art -- it's science. Like a meteorologist tracks the weather, the company monitors trends and data in the social space. TheSocReports compares users to their chosen competitors and provides tips, education and suggestions based on activity and inspiration. The average user gains 10-percent more followers in the first 12 weeks.
Anna Maikova, Co-Founder of Recordly, pitcher her platform, which empowers journalists to report their stories faster and more accurately with an instant transcription app. When it comes to transcription, the company believes that accuracy and speed are not mutually exclusive.
Stella Ashaolu, founder and CEO of WeSolv, pitched next. The company revolutionizes talent and innovation sourcing by seamlessly connecting talented professional candidates to each other and companies to solve real challenges. The WeSolv platform provides visibility and access to both the world’s leading companies and candidates with data analytics from measurable projects to remove inefficiencies and bias in hiring. With over 40 top programs represented, WeSolv is currently the widest centralized network of diverse MBA candidates.
Next, WeKaw founder and CEO Angela Wang pitched her platform, a 24/7 personal relationship advisor. WeKaw securely and anonymously connects callers to their professional relationship advisors on-demand. Whenever a customer calls, a trained, compassionate Wekaw advisor is always ready to listen and give tailored advice.
Marylynne Schwartz, founder of ClassCrasher, pitched her company, which facilitates the discovery and booking of activities for kids making it easy for parents to find the perfect class to fit any schedule without the has
Rochelle Gorey, Co-founder, CEO and President of SpringFour, introduced her platform, which connects a company’s customers or employees to financial health resources, tools and products helping to improve payment performance and reduce debt. The company is nationwide, powers more than one million referrals each year and is an easily deployed and scalable solution for companies of all sizes, including enterprise clients.
Rachel Portell, founder of Taylored Wines, pitched her company. Taylored Wines exists to help customers discover and appreciate underserved wines in the United States. The company is on a mission to shake up the antiquated wine industry, enabling boutique wineries to easily expand distribution nationwide. The company’s marketplace streamlines the buying process, allowing customers to order wine online and have it delivered direct from the vineyard to their front door.
Next, Kaizen Health founder Mindy Knebel introduced her company, which is a HIPAA-compliant, data-driven logistics platform which connects healthcare and transportation. The platform increases access to transportation, which improves patient outcomes and aligns healthcare economics.
To conclude, VirtualKey founder and President Resha Shroff pitched her platform, which is the invisible doorman for Airbnb hosts. It is an access platform that integrates with smart locks and digital locks already available in the market with booking marketplaces like HomeAway and Airbnb. VirtualKEY automatically gets reservation details and issues access to the guest’s phone which is valid only for the duration of the stay.
