Washington Technology Industry Association Selects Spring First Look Forum Finalists

SEATTLE, April 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA), Washington state's unifying voice for the technology community, today revealed the 12 early-stage startup companies that made the cut to pitch their ideas at this year's Spring First Look Forum™. The finalists include a wide variety of business models and industries. Each entrepreneur has received coaching on their business plans, executive summaries, and presentations – they are now practicing their pitches in preparation for the finals next Tuesday, May 5.

First Look Forum aims to prepare local entrepreneurs to enter the brutally competitive funding circuit by providing one-on-one mentoring and the opportunity to pitch their ideas to an audience of industry veterans for the very first time. This WTIA program provides critical feedback to help each team hone their skills and pitches before raising money in earnest.

The private event will be held on Tuesday, May 5 from 2:00pm to 6:00pm PT at the Perkins Coie law offices in Seattle.

Finalists will face off in hopes of winning a $10,000 grand prize, free travel, and many other valuable prizes. A panel of judges including representatives from Alliance of Angels, Seattle Angel Conference, TAGS Angel Group, Seattle University, Lighter Capital, Voyager Capital, and WRF Capital will determine the winner.

"The finalists for this year's spring event include a wide variety of business models and industries," said Michael Schutzler, CEO of WTIA. "We are keen on helping entrepreneurs succeed because it benefits the entire community by creating jobs and economic vitality."

These top twelve entrepreneurs were selected from a large pool of highly qualified candidates to showcase their innovations at the 2015 WTIA Spring First Look Forum:

1. Cielo WiGle Inc (Redmond) – multiple Smart devices and one simple free for life app to manage your complete home. The smart stuff that works and gives comfort, convenience and savings to you.
2. ComputePositive (Seattle) – empowers parents with the tools, services and information regarding their family's evolving device footprint and connections.
3. Globatom (Seattle) – SaaS cloud based technology that seamlessly connects all the various steps/players to get your product from point A to point B. It tracks, quantifies and links all the components of the import/export process into one simple, transparent environment.
4. The Growl Store (Seattle) – is a 64 tap tasting room and growler fill station, establishing the first store on Capitol Hill, Seattle in 2015.
5. Infinut (Kirkland) – builds Math, Science and Reading apps for Kids Learning. Their apps have been downloaded more than 1 million times, which teach concepts, not rote learning.
6. iTraq (Redmond) – reports the location of iTraq Tags wherever they are in the world, indoors or outdoors, for up to 3 years with no battery charge or network connection fee.
7. IXD, Inc. (Bellevue) – is the easiest way to securely send, receive and track important information. IXD messages are protected from cyber criminals, traceable and non-repudiable.
8. miPS (Seattle) – offers personalized stem cell generation and cell preservation - the ability to pee in a cup, and regenerate any organ in your body.
9. pala-linq (Seattle) – is a mobile app and wearable technology that provides on-the-go support for those in recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction.
10. Portelo, Inc. (Seattle) – is the premier B2B marketplace with a platform of subscription-based tools enabling users to easily find, manage, and review business service providers.
11. Pureple (Seattle) – is a completely free and customizable closet/wardrobe organizer and outfit planner. It provides the easiest way to create your wardrobe and suggests outfits for you by learning your style.
12. Yoga Panda (Seattle) – helps yoga practitioners find and book yoga classes at local studios directly from their phone, pay as they go, and save money along the way.

Last fall, Matt Rose, CEO of Kirkland Analytics, took home the First Look Forum $10,000 grand prize. Matt used the prize money to complete a rebrand of the business, gain additional market traction, and open a new office. Since First Look Forum, he has also secured an additional $750,000 in funding from local investors.

WTIA brings together community partners and sponsors from across the industry to put on this one-of-a-kind event. Partners and sponsors this spring include Delta Airlines, Davis Wright Tremaine, and Perkins Coie.

First Look Forum is an invite-only event open to accredited investors and entrepreneurs. To learn more about this and other WTIA events, check out: http://www.washingtontechnology.org/firstlookforum/.

About the Washington Technology Industry Association
Founded in 1984, the WTIA is the unifying voice for 8500 technology companies and 250,000 tech professionals in Washington. We inform and motivate industry, education and government leaders to help attract and develop the talent and capital required to make our region the leading technology community in the world. For more information visit http://www.washingtontechnology.org.

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SOURCE Washington Technology Industry Association

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