#Backstage100
Meet the first hundred Headliners.
This represents the companies we are publicly ready to share. Stay tuned for more companies to be announced soon.
Founder: Dawn Dickson
PopCom is an automated retailing technology company. Their experienced team of engineers and developers have designed a software solution to make vending machines intelligent through consumer data and analytics. PopCom works with consumer retail brands, vending machine manufacturers, and vending machine operators to help them learn more about their customers. PopCom offers a unique value proposition that is not available to them, including customer data, sales conversion rates, and the ability for customers to create accounts and engage with their machines like never before.
Why did you start your company?
To improve the data and analytics capturing ability for vending machine and digital kiosks.
What’s your background?
I have a background in marketing, tech, and entrepreneurship.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Stay focused on your vision, and surround yourself with people who can help you progress.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
Backstage was the first VC to invest in both of my companies, and the investment really helped me start to gain momentum. Arlan has created a family environment with her portfolio companies that she calls "Headliners." I feel like I am a part of something really special - something magic - history in the making.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
As a kid I wanted to be an archeologist when I grew up. I was always fascinated with history and ancient civilizations and I still am. Sometimes when I am traveling to places like Egypt, Rome and Belize I wish I could just start digging and see what I find!
To learn more about PopCom, visit: popcom.shop
Founders: Angel Anderson & Sarah Heering
NailSnaps lets consumers and brands turn photos into one-of-a-kind nail polish stickers for personalized nail art. Nail wraps last up to two weeks and can can be self-applied in minutes with no dry time, and no salon required. NailSnaps is a vision for a new kind of self-expression. By combining digital creativity with custom-printed nail polish stickers, hands become a gallery for wearable art.
Why did you start your company?
From toxic materials to abusive labor practices at salons, the nail industry is ripe for a revolution. We launched NailSnaps to disrupt the 8.5 billion dollar nail industry with the world’s best way to create, share, and wear custom nail art. Our mobile/social platform lets people turn photos into custom nail wraps that can be applied at-home in minutes. No mess. No toxicity. No dry time. Next level personal expression, literally at your fingertips.
What’s your background?
I've spent my career humanizing technology and designing digital products and services for clients such as Dominos, Old Navy, American Express, and The Gates Foundation. Prior to founding NailSnaps, I worked as the VP Director of UX at Crispin Porter + Bogusky, a full-service agency known for award-winning, innovative work. My partner Sarah Heering is a digital media and advertising maven and successful founder of her own boutique media agency, SAJE Media. Together we are building a nail art revolution.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Find a co-founder with a similar work style and different skills from you so that you can work together in a complementary way. Sarah and I hit it off immediately and decided to join forces to bring NailSnaps to life. My background as a User Experience Designer and Sarah’s expertise in Media helped us move forward quickly. You have to have shared values and similar work ethics to enjoy a harmonious partnership and since Sarah and I both tend to be passionate work-a-holics, we are a great fit for each other as partners.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
Arlan is a sharp investor who is clear and honest in her communication, the team she's built at Backstage is spectacular in terms of helping portfolio companies hit milestones. They are tremendously helpful and honest which gives us to the freedom to be just as honest what's working and what isn't.
Tell us two truths and a lie
To learn more about NailSnaps, visit: nailsnaps.com
Founders: Tonantzin Esparza, Tlacael Esparza & Tenoch Esparza
Sunhouse is building the future of music technology for creators through music artificial intelligence. Their first product Sensory Percussion represents a new frontier in electronic drumming where every subtlety of acoustic performance is captured and rendered as a powerful and flexible digital language. It allows drummers the ability to not only control electronic sounds like samples, synths, and effects, but it truly captures the art of drumming and opens up new possibilities for performance, composition and studio recording.
Why did you start your company?
Sunhouse is building the future of music technology for creators through music artificial intelligence. We see an exciting opportunity to create a new musical future where people of all backgrounds can find new connections to music through technology. Whether they’re a young learner, a top-level professional, or an artist seeking new means of expression, we are building a platform of intelligent musical machines that adapt and listen to the person, not the other way around.
Our first product Sensory Percussion represents a new frontier in electronic drumming where every subtlety of acoustic performance is captured and rendered as a powerful and flexible digital language. It allows drummers the ability to not only control electronic sounds like samples, synths, and effects, but it truly captures the art of drumming and opens up new possibilities for performance, composition and studio recording.
As a musician, Tlacael initially developed Sensory Percussion out of a necessity for more expressive modes of composing and performing with electronic sound. Since launching and seeing our technology being used by some of the best musicians all over the world, we see a greater potential for our technologies to bring new creative power to musicians in a music economy now driven by electronic studio production. We are committed to creating a company that not only develops transformative technology, but also drives positive change for musicians and culture worldwide.
What’s your background?
Sunhouse was founded by siblings Tlacael, Tenoch and Tonantzin Esparza with help from their eldest brother Tonatiuh, all raised in the wake of the Chicano civil rights movement in Los Angeles by filmmaker, artist and activist parents. Proud of their southern-New Mexico and Jalisco, Mexico roots, the Esparza siblings work to make culture and diversity a core part of the Sunhouse DNA.
Tlacael is the inventor of Sensory Percussion and heads up product development and R&D. A trained jazz drummer from childhood, he studied mathematics and music at Columbia then received a masters in Music Tech from NYU, focussing on Music Information Retrieval and Machine Learning. He is a professional drummer with 16 years of experience on stage and recording. As a professional drummer, he played and toured with acts such as The Dave Harrington Group and Nicolas Jaar - experiences that informed and motivated his work with Sunhouse.
Tenoch heads operations, finance and marketing. He holds an MBA from Columbia University and B.A. in Russian Language & Literature from Stanford. He worked for five years at Google in Communications supporting the founders and CEO, and studied classical piano at the Moscow State Conservatory for four years.
Tonantzin heads business development, artists relations and fundraising. Coming from the film world, she has over ten years of experience in production, sales, acquisitions and distribution. She is also an accomplished actress. She holds an M.A. from NYU Gallatin School in Business, Entrepreneurship and Media and a double B.A. from UCLA in Theatre, Film and T.V. & Chicana/o Studies.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Talk to as many people about your idea as you can. Test it. Try to knock it down and find all its weak spots before you spend money building it. But don’t let people discourage you from pursuing it!
Our biggest breakthroughs and spurts of growth often came out of signing up for things we weren’t ready for and hustling to make it work. By putting ourselves out there, setting hard deadlines for success, we accelerated our product development and growth as a business. So, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, whether is a competition, a kickstarter, or a demo. If you wait until you feel ready, you might not ever get there.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
As Chicana/os working in music tech, Backstage not only recognized our potential as founders but appreciated and understood our vision for empowering musicians through technology in an investing environment that undervalues the importance of musicians as the driving force of our musical culture.
We also found a kindred spirit in Arlan, who identifies with our world view and perspective as minorities. We have yet to find other Latinxs in the tech world and sadly we have heard of very few. Arlan understands how social networks and friendships are the basis of how companies raise money and make progress, and that has not been structurally available to minorities and to Mexican Americans, who are among the most underrepresented groups. Arlan’s investment approach is inclusive in the true sense of that word. Change is happening and access is opening up because of people like Arlan and the Backstage crew. Arlan is a true innovative badass!
What is your guilty pleasure?
We’re foodies. Our mother has always been a great cook, and brought us up on some of the best Mexican food. Fresh tortillas, legit beans and really hot New Mexican green chile. So, keeping in that tradition, we’re always on the hunt for the best Mex and now we prefer to pair it with some seriously good Mezcal or Tequila. When we’re on the road after a long day of music demos, the consensus always is… let’s get some tacos and a strong margarita!
To learn more about Sunhouse, visit: sunhou.se
Founders: Ama Marfo & Emmanuel Buah
Airfordable lets customers book flights for a deposit upfront, and then the rest is paid off in bi-weekly installments before their departure date. This innovation in purchasing plane tickets offers travelers price protection, requires no interest or credit checks, and keeps private data safe with bank-level security and encryption.
Why did you start your company?
For the over 118 million middle class Americans, traveling beyond their zip code is nothing but a dream. It's a financial burden for families to pay thousands of dollars upfront for a trip they won't until weeks and months away. It's impossible for a student who just wants to see their family during school breaks. We started Airfordable to solve this dilemma by making travel accessible to anyone, anywhere.
What’s your background?
Ama Marfo is the cofounder & CEO of Airfordable. She has extensive experience in consumer lending and product management having worked at Discover Financial Services. She led the development of Discover's first ever deposit product that has received national recognition ever since it's launch.
Emmanuel Buah is the cofounder and CTO of Airfordable. He is a two-time founder with one acquisition under his belt. Prior to pursuing entrepreneurship, he worked as a senior software architect for fortune 500 companies such as Fujitsu where he built and managed world-class technology systems and services for the company and its clients.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Stop talking about it and take Nike’s advice: Just do it. Have this mindset in all areas of your business. Get started and see what you learn rather than hemming and hawing over the details.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
Backstage has helped us create a new reality around what it means to be able to travel. With Backstage's support, we continue to create a world where more people are getting on the plane for the first time, immigrants can finally travel back home after 20 years of being away, more college students are able to study abroad and friends and family don’t have to think twice about whether or not they can make it a destination wedding. All these life changing experiences and more have been made possible by Backstage’s investment in Airfordable.
Two truths and a lie?
To learn more about Airfordable, visit: airfordable.com
Founder: Harold Hughes
BANDWAGON is a sports tech company that is focused on enhancing the game day experience for fans and teams. Every year, sports fans spend billions of dollars on tickets only knowing the price and location of their seats. BANDWAGON uses qualitative data to assign seat characteristics so that fans not only know where their seats are but also, what the in-stadium environment will be like. Fans will know if their seat will be in the shade, in the home team section, or even a family-friendly section. Fans aren’t the only ones that value this kind of data. BANDWAGON is able to partner with sports organizations to help them have a better understanding of who shows up on game day. By having visibility into who is in the stands, sports organizations can increase targeted marketing campaigns, increase day of game revenue, and optimize the game day experience for each fan specifically.
What’s your background?
I have a sales, product management, and business development background in the Barcoding, RFID, and Asset Management industry.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Tell the world what you're building. It's the only way for others to get involved and help you overcome blind spots that you have. Also, it doesn't hurt to have really smart people in your network thinking of your venture for free.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
Being part of this fund gives me PayPal Mafia vibes. We're seeing a decided effort to fund underrepresented founders from all segments and I believe that in 10 and 20 years, we'll look back at the ripple that this singular event created. I'm glad that I'm in the number and I'm looking forward to actively making an impact alongside the headliners, crew, Arlan, and Christie.
Most mundane celebrity encounter?
Last New Year's Eve (December 2017), my fraternity brothers and I went down to New Orleans to see our alma mater - the Clemson Tigers - play in the Sugar Bowl. We were checking in at our AirBNB which was in an apartment building and sitting on the couch next to us was Hannibal Buress. We all were pretty cool about it until one guy in our group asked for a pic. After that, we all got pics and I reminded him of the time that my wife and I saw him perform in Brooklyn and he made fun of my hair...calling me a "2015 Temptation reject".
To learn more about BANDWAGON, visit: bandwagonfanclub.com
Founder: Yelitsa Jean-Charles
Healthy Roots is a toy company combating societal beauty standards on girls of color during the early stages of identity development. Healthy Roots dolls, the first line of natural hair dolls to enter the toy industry, have different facial features, skin tones, and hair textures that can be styled in countless ways.
Healthy Roots creates dolls and storybooks that teach natural hair care and celebrate all skin tones, bringing diversity to the toy aisle while promoting self love and empowerment for girls of color. The team at Healthy Roots aims to create products that reflect the changing world and the beauty inherent in every one of us.
No one should feel “less than” because of the kink of their curl or the color of their skin. Healthy Roots is helping girls love their roots one doll at a time.
Why did you start your company?
I started Healthy Roots because of my own experiences as a black woman. Healthy Roots for me is a social innovation through design. We are creating the opportunity for young girls of color to define themselves how they want to.
I didn't learn how to do my hair until I was 20 and part that is because I never wanted to wear my natural hair. I saw dolls as the perfect social teaching tool to create positive representation of all skin tones and hair textures as well as teach girls how to do their own hair.
I want black girls to love themselves with all their black girl magic.
What’s your background?
I am an alum of the Rhode Island School of Design where I studied Illustration with a concentration in Gender, Race & Sexuality. I was a student activist on campus turned entrepreneur. I am a Brown University Social Innovation Fellow, Venture for America Fellow, MassChallenge Alum and Beyoncé stan all day every day. I also dabble in hair care myself.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
I say this alot, but my answer is always don't say no before you can say yes. We often deny ourselves opportunities because we don't take the time to visualize the path to success for us.
Just because it isn't obvious, doesn't mean it isn't possible. Figure out what you know, figure out what you don't know and then figure out what you have to do or who you have to ask to help fill the gaps.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
I can't believe I get to be a part of history! The Backstage Capital team, Arlan Hamilton and everyone in this portfolio is literally making history by being the first to take this journey. Less than 30 black women have ever raised a million dollars and here Backstage is investing in underrepresented founders and creating a$36 million "it's about damn time fund".
Being apart of this in any capacity is an honor and a reminder that the work I do is real and valued. Thank you Backstage
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Grey's Anatomy. Burke and Christina for ever.
To learn more about Healthy Roots Dolls, visit: healthyrootsdolls.com
Founder: Allison Clift-Jennings
Filament has invested deeply in building secure technologies that make economic exchange among autonomous devices a possibility and a reality. Their technology stack enables secure communications and private exchanges between devices, making it possible for machines to interact with any other device or endpoint. The hardware elements of a Filament network are its low-power hardware nodes, which connect existing machinery and industrial infrastructure to the network, or directly to each other.
Why did you start your company?
An idea that I came across started haunting me, and wouldn't leave me alone until I started working on it. Six years later, here we are!
What’s your background?
Bachelor's in Computer Science, 21 years working or founding tech startups, six failed companies prior to Filament.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Many mistakes will be made. The only fatal one is giving up.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
I am a big believer that you make the change you wish to see, and having the opportunity to collaborate with Backstage on building the next generation of tech companies is quite an honor. I love that neither Backstage nor Filament looks like a typical VC or startup--that's our secret weapon--but the secret's getting out!
Most mundane celebrity encounter?
I used to fly from Pasadena home every Friday, and would have to fly through Las Vegas. That BUR-LAS Southwest flight had the most ridiculous celebrity encounters on it; Fergie, Hulk Hogan, Carrot top, William Dafoe. They all wanted to party and were pretty obnoxious. I just wanted to sleep after a long week!
To learn more about Filament, visit: filament.com
Founder: Mike T. Brown
Why did you start your company?
As a former pro athlete, I intimately understood the pain points we are solving for today. I wanted to develop a way for players to leverage their platform, for good, in a minimal effort way while simultaneously providing highly desirable access for fans. A true Win-Win!
What’s your background?
Early graduate of Duke University; 2x All American collegiate athlete; Former NFL Linebacker; Self-Taught Coder/Designer; Former Growth Lead at Kiip.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
#1 Surround yourself with other founders who are also grinding through this tough environment - it will help keep you sane knowing that others are going through the inevitable "hard things". However, don't look at it from a point of comparison (your progress vs theirs) because EVERY journey will be different and unique.
#2 Get as much feedback from qualified sources early and often (potential users, clients/partners, etc). Too many first time entrepreneurs think they've got to "protect" their idea by keeping it to themselves. The likelihood of someone stealing your idea is very low, and by keeping it to yourself you lose out on the potential of getting great feedback or even strategic introductions.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
I'm honored to be a headliner, particularly within the first 100 investments. Backstage is a much needed entity within the startup ecosystem and it means a lot to know that there is a fund dedicated to leveling the playing! It provides hope to underserved entrepreneurs knowing there's someone for us; FUBU. As Arlan described recently, its the "about damn time" fund.
Two truths and a lie?
A) I speak fluent Samoan B) I was branded 9x for a fraternity C) I delivered our 2nd child (not a doctor)
To learn more about Win-Win, visit: trywinwin.com
Founders: Kim & Tim Lewis
CurlMix started as a Do It Yourself subscription box for curly hair products, think Blue Apron for but for curly hair. Now we focus on haircare solutions that have been selected by our loyal CurlMixers. We made this change in March 2018 and it's been explosive growth ever since!
Why did you start your company?
We pivoted to a hair care line based on our customers favorite boxes and 10x our revenue in 3 months.
What’s your background?
We both attended the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Kim studied Business and Timothy studied Economics & Psychology.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Master your side-hustle first, and if you can run a successful side-hustle, you can likely run a successful business.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
Backstage is MUCH more than a fund. It feels like my family. The way founder's support, show up, and help one another is unheard of. When we get together, it's like a family reunion. Two things got us to where we are now. Our Advisor, whom we met at Backstage's Anniversary party, and is an LP. And the second if Backstage's Investment. My advisor gave us the advice to pivot and change direction. And the investment was the capital infusion we needed to pivot!
Two truths and a lie?
Kim & Tim are highschool sweethearts. Together for 10+ years. Kim signed Tim up to try out for Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and he won $100,000.
To learn more about CurlMix, visit: www.CurlMix.com
Founder: Sheena Allen
CapWay is creating a new financial standard that caters to the specific needs of the underserved market. With 160 million Americans and 3 billion people worldwide considered financially underserved, CapWay focuses on the financial health of this market by offering both services and products. CapWay’s services are all based around financial literacy. Their products include pre-paid debit cards and bank-issued debit cards.
With both founders being from Mississippi, the state with the highest population of financially underserved residents, Sheena and Tim combined their personal and professional experiences to create CapWay. The goal of CapWay is to understand and serve the people with the problem, not just talk about the problem itself.
Why did you start your company?
People in my family, friends, and the people in my community back in my home state of Mississippi were tied to the predatory economy with lack of access and opportunity for something different. Even though numerous larger financial institutions have tried to solve the issue, they are just too far disconnected from the audience. Being from a banking desert and rural area, having personal experience (family), and professional experience (second startup), I knew I was the right person to disrupt and change the life of the financially underserved.
What’s your background?
I attended the University of Southern Mississippi and double majored in psychology (B.S.) and film (B.A.). During my senior year of college, I started my first tech company, Sheena Allen Apps. Not doing anything with either of my degrees, I decided to pursue entrepreneurship full-time and moved from Mississippi to San Jose and then to Austin, TX. I bootstrapped my first startup to 5 apps and millions of downloads, mainly through trial and error. All of the hiccups learned the hard way with my first startup lead me to be a better leader and founder with my second startup, CapWay.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
This journey is hard and not everyone will believe and you will hear the word "no" often. Just remember, work to prove yourself right, not the naysayers wrong.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
Backstage isn't just an investment group. Honestly, Backstage is family. They connect us to other resources, the other founders in the portfolio look out for each other, and the Backstage team goes above and beyond. Backstage Capital is a special group and they are breaking all the rules (in a good way). I'm proud to be part of the Backstage family and to be one of the first 100 they believed in enough to write a check.
What is your guilty pleasure?
My guilty pleasure is the ID channel. I don't watch TV often because it's usually just me, my computer and some dope music, but when I do watch TV, it is usually a show on ID Channel.
To learn more about CapWay, visit: capway.co
Founders: Prophet Walker, Joe Green & Brent Gaisford
Treehouse is a soon-to-launch co-living community in Hollywood, CA. Residents will each receive a fully-furnished bedroom with a private bathroom, shared spaces such as a kitchen and living areas, and 7,000 square feet of building-wide amenities for all residents.
Why did you start your company?
We believe that cities are too lonely and disconnected. We hope to usher in a new form of housing that’s more accessible to people and one that will build a strong community.
What’s your background?
Prophet’s background is real estate and community building. He’s helped lead the build out of Ace Hotel and many multi family buildings and he also ran for office in his community of Watts/ South LA. Joe Green is from Los Angeles and was an early advisor to Facebook. He also was a cofounder of Nation Builder and long-term tech investor. Finally, Brent is a former Bain analyst.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Being willing to sacrifice time, money and day to day luxuries on a continued basis is just as important as the best idea. You should be prepared to work hard, cry a little, miss some of the beautiful moments because the next task is too big to slow down and also be willing to slow down to pat yourself on the back. Finally, being a founder is humbling and intoxicating - you will be told your brilliant one moment and foolish the next. You will dredge up insecurity’s and try and mask them with arrogance to protect. Remain humble/ woke enough to recognize this happening and keep people good people close to help you self correct when needed.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
Being a black founder and CEO and having Backstage behind me means a lot. Having an investor team that understands the investment world while also understand the cultural significance of time being here here is reinforcing. I am excited by Backstage's commitment to excellence and the community!
What’s one thing you miss about being a kid?
I miss building clubhouses. Partly why I decided to start the company. I used to build clubhouses weekly. I know weekly seems obsessive, but my parents or friends parents kept forcing us to destroy them after we built them. They never had the decency to just tell us not to start. They’d simply wait, and after a weekends worth of work they ask that we get ‘all that crap out of their yards’. Are CH’s were often cobbled together junk that we found in nearby alleys. The process of finding material, patching it together, with all your friends contributing, being nice and enjoying it all with a culminating Sunday ‘party’ filled with sour patch straws that we drank soda through and ate chips/ cookies was simply the best time of my life. We explored, failed, built bonds, escaped the proverbial hood through activating our imagination and built a place that truly felt like home to us. In many ways I’m doing that now, but no one can tell me to destroy the buildings and they will last longer.
To learn more about Treehouse, visit: treehouse.community
Founders: Melissa Hanna (CEO), Sunny Walia (CTO), Linda Hanna-Sperber (Chief Nursing Officer)
Mahmee is revolutionizing maternal and child healthcare with a patient-centric care management platform that makes it easy for providers to collaborate and deliver high-quality, individualized care online and in person. Maternal health involves a variety specialists including pediatricians, obstetricians, lactation consultants, nutritionists, therapists, doulas, and others. Today, mom and baby are connected but their providers are siloed by outdated care management technology. Mahmee connects the dots between patients, providers, and data.
Why did you start your company?
To make equitable access to comprehensive maternal healthcare a reality for all women.
What’s your background?
I (Melissa) have a JD and a MBA
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Don't incorporate too early. Do a lot of testing of your ideas, run experiments often to challenge your assumptions. Listen to your users.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
It's an honor to be one of the first 100 companies to receive funding from Backstage. Arlan/Backstage was the first venture investor in Mahmee, so the relationship is very special to us. Being a part of this portfolio means being a part of a community of founders that have fought very hard -- the hardest -- to build our companies and to get where we are at.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was a kid, I wanted to be a forensic pathologist because I watched too much Law & Order after school with my grandfather. I thought that it would be fascinating to work in the morgue/crime lab and solve mysteries. I always liked solving puzzles as a kid, and probably would have become an engineer if I hadn't been hazed by the boys in my math and science classes for most of high school. By the time I got to college, I didn't want to be in science, medicine, or anything related to STEM. Somehow, I found my way back to all of it years later.
To learn more about Mahmee, visit: mahmee.com
Founders: Madison Maxey & Janett Liriano
LOOMIA provides heating, lighting, and sensing functionalities for visionary brands. LOOM- IA’s IP is in several areas: flexible apparel-friendly connectors, components, stretchy direct-to- textile conductive inks, custom battery form factors, and e-patterned materials. LOOMIA cre- ates use cases, and produces smart fabric panels (as thin and flexible as Nylon) that brands can integrate to add value and function to their products, without limiting style.
Why did you start your company?
We have a desire to propel smart environments and textiles into reality. We identified a translational gap between hardware and soft goods needs and are working to close it.
What’s your background?
Design, engineering, 3D printing, computational design, fashion, theatre, industrial design
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Read as many books on entrepreneurship as you can with an open mind, find a partner who supports the vision fully early, plan, plan, plan, and review your ability to stick to it weekly, be focused but light on your feet and willing to pivot. Be attached to the problem you want to solve, not the way you think you want to solve it.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
The center of power is shifting, and we are glad to be a part of it.
Who would play you in the movie version of your life?
Zendaya Coleman or Yara Shahidi!
To learn more about LOOMIA, visit: www.loomia.com
Founder: Joah Spearman
Localeur is a community of locals who help travelers #experiencelocal by recommending the best local places to eat, drink, and play. Their community of locals spans more than 75 cities around the globe, including major cities in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, The Netherlands, South Africa, and Spain.
Since launching in 2013, Localeur has been named the “Best New Startup” in Austin and a “must have” travel app by The Today Show, Forbes, The Guardian, and TIME. Along with Backstage Capital, their investors include Capitol Factory, VPG Asia, former Facebook executives, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year winners, and entrepreneurs in tech, music, fashion, and politics.
Why did you start your company?
To help travelers experience local wherever they go.
What’s your background?
Founder + CEO Joah Spearman was named one of the Top 10 Black Innovators of 2014 by MVMT 50 (“Movement 50”), Emerging Business Leader of the Year by the Greater Austin Black Chamber in 2013, one of the Top Voices in Tech by LinkedIn, and is a four-time finalist for Austin’s Under 40 Awards. Joah is co-chair of the board of directors for AIDS Services of Austin and a boardmember of KLRU-TV, Austin’s PBS affiliate.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
If you want to learn how to get people behind your vision and your startup, you can gain a lot of valuable experience by first helping a fellow entrepreneur with their vision and company.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
Backstage is easily the most credible, diverse, exciting, inclusive and valuable institutional funding source for founders like me who are seeking to build sustainable and valuable companies but have faced extreme bias and discrimination from traditional institutional investors in Silicon Valley and beyond. It's a true honor to be among the first 100 investments.
Who would play you in the movie version of your life?
Donald Glover would have to play me in the movie version of my life.
To learn more about Localeur, visit: www.localeur.com
Founder: Janice Omadeke
The Mentor Method is a SaaS platform that provides curated mentor matches, connecting the next generation of tech leaders with change-making mentors at the top of their game. By focusing on people and value- fit first, The Mentor Method fosters authentic, lasting connections. The result is stronger teams and inclusive workplace cultures. Transform today’s entry and mid-level talent into fearless leaders for tomorrow, ready to tackle the most complex business challenges. With an inclusive, next-generation culture rooted in mentorship, they’ll be 100% engaged along the way. The Mentor Method was founded to champion a world where minorities and women in tech are viewed as crucial assets to be valued, not a trivial box to be checked.
Why did you start your company?
I started The Mentor Method out of my own life experiences. As a first-generation American, I saw my father go from working 3 part-time jobs to getting a security clearance and working in IT at the Pentagon because of advocacy and sponsorship from a complete stranger who met him on the job and paid for his computer classes. Being a byproduct of what happens with tech and mentorship come together has always fueled me to give back and help others. The Mentor Method is my way of making sure my father's story isn't a coincidence but a real business case for companies to invest in their diverse talent through mentorship.
What’s your background?
I'm certified in Entrepreneurship from MIT and Strategic Management from the Harvard Extension School. I also have my Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. My career has been leading efficient, impactful teams in Fortune 500 companies.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Be married to your problem, and flexible in your solution based on what your customers and the market are telling you.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
It means so much to be a part of the Backstage 100. I'm humbled, excited, and honored that Backstage is my first VC money. The team's values and passions align so closely with mine that it's like having new team members. As a female founder of color, getting institutional funding isn't an easy endeavor. Backstage supporting us through their investment and being able to say that we're in the Backstage 100 is that added fuel to keep pursuing our growth goals and push the ladder sideways for other founders to join the fund as well. Thanks, Backstage, for believing in us!
What is your guilty pleasure?
I don't feel guilty about anything that brings me joy or pleasure. You have to enjoy those moments as you don't know when they'll happen again!
To learn more about The Mentor Method, visit: thementormethod.com
Founders: James Norman & Hector Osorio
Pilotly enables professional creators to capture real audience feedback before they release their content. Pilotly’s research solution is composed of two complex products: a multi-platform video portal and API that screens content to viewers to collect feedback; and an intelligent dashboard that processes the data collected to surface valuable insights.
Pilotly is the only research platform capable of testing video content on any device and within a variety of contexts, including full-screen formats as well as within controlled social environments, like Facebook and Snapchat. Pilotly provides audience question sets based on client goals (i.e., measuring engagement, ad recall), and then, using proprietary AI-based algorithms, benchmarks performance against similar content, correlates viewer responses to specific moments in a video, and curates actionable reports.
Why did you start your company?
It all started when we were having some conversations with TV / Movie studios about how they capture viewer data. At the time we were negotiating deals around an a la carte TV service we had built called GroupFlix, but we were curious how they planned to optimize their business based on viewer activity (like Netflix or Amazon). They then told us about traditional focus groups in vegas, and people turning dials in rooms with moderators.
This was odd, because I would have thought they would be using online solutions, but they all said "we've been doing it this way since the 60s, so we know it works" and that really just made a light bulb go off... No one has truly innovated in program research in decades.. we pivoted and immersed ourselves in media research. The rest is history.
What’s your background?
That's a long question. Coming from Michigan, I was a gear head. Built car audio systems and even whole cars, started my first online company, MJH Sound, in 1995 selling car audio online. Then after finishing electrical engineering at University of Michigan, I moved to LA as my company had evolved into building concepts for auto manufacturers and movie franchises like Fast and Furious. Around 2008 recession hit, and then I made a life pivot. My buddy told me about how he got into Y Combinator and what it meant to raise money, I soon after that began building streaming video platforms because I that point was in Hollywood. Since then I've been a serial tech entrepreneur. video version
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Don't talk about it, be about it. I think I'm able to find success because I've perfected the art of taking an idea from a thought to a functional prototype, and on to a viable product.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
Even the fact that they're going to take this paragraph and publish it somewhere completely differentiates them from other venture firms. The reality is, I feel like they're hustling as hard as we are, and somehow find time to provide value to their entire portfolio. It's amazing and I feel like our visions of a diverse tech industry are aligned.
Two truths and a lie?
– Myself, along with cars I built, appeared in a Fast and Furious movie – I snuck into a party with Common and John Legend – I hung out with Ryan Coogler at Cannes Film Fest
To learn more about Pilotly, visit: pilot.ly
Founders: Liane Thompson & Simeon Pieterkosky
Aquaai creates systems for positive impact in our oceans and waterways and is on a mission to save the seas using data. Their FaaS™ Fish-as-a-Service platform offers a B2B model offering monitoring services performed by biomimetic fishlike drones.
Aquaai considers environmental, scientific, and business concerns, and provides an alternative methodology while preserving marine environments.
Why did you start your company?
When Simeon’s daughter,8 year-old Emily, learned about the ocean crisis at school, she asked her inventor father Simeon to "save the seas". He promised Emily he'd try. Liane met Simeon in Israel while he was working on a proof of concept; a bio-inspired robotic fish that could gather data in an eco-friendly way, be cost-effective and withstand rough ocean conditions. When Simeon and Liane relocated to her native USA, the couple founded Aquaai dedicating themselves to fulfilling the promise to Save the Seas.
What’s your background?
Simeon has 20+ years in animatronics, robotics, special effects and climate change. He had a robotics company in Israel for 10 years. Liane is a former global reporter, producer and New York Times executive producer. Always an entrepreneur, she has founded start-ups in Hungary, Israel and now the US.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Create your own path by trusting your gut and following your instinct, and don't forget to enjoy the ride!
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
As someone who keeps their pulse on the street and follows what's new and emerging, I've been a fan of Arlan's since she started her Backstage journey in 2015 knowing immediately I wanted her as a partner because she represents truth, integrity and grit. I too strive to live life with these characteristics as my compass and wanted like-minded investors as partners in Aquaai. When Backstage invested in 2018, it meant that the years of tweets and email updates proved my own true, honest grit paid off. As a female founder, that's a great psychological boost. I must add that Arlan was always generous, willing to make introductions even before Backstage invested. Sharing the wealth is what makes a community strong and I'm super thrilled to be a part of the Backstage family; every conversation with each Backstage member from Christie to Bryan has been amazing. It means Backstage is the wind on our back helping Aquaai go forward with a bit more ease.
What did you want to be when you were a kid?
As a kid I wanted to be a singer and travel the world. I fulfilled the dream of traveling the world as a foreign journalist. I still have time to be a singer; I plan to sing the blues in a dingy Parisian bar when I turn 60.
To learn more about Aquaai, visit www.aquaai.com
Founder: Andrea Guendelman
BeVisible is a social media career network that connects Latinx to each other and companies searching for talent. BeVisible lls a void that established career sites have not—authentic Latino participation. Latinx have the lowest participation rate on LinkedIn of any minority demographic (18% vs. 28% for African Americans.) Latinx are one of the largest, most in uential racial/ethnic groups in the nation, with an exceedingly younger population than the rest of the country. Millennial Latinos, in particular, represent the largest, most college educated, and socially connected generation of Latinos ever. They are connecting professionally, but they do it differently. Until BeVisible, there wasn’t a career network that allowed them to connect they way they do in real life, where work life and community are the same. BeVisible has attracted the attention of thousands of early adopters and recruiters of major companies, particularly in the technology sector.
Why did you start your company?
Because I knew that underrepresented talent was not accessing enough networks to access opportunities resulting in a loss of opportunities for them and business.
What’s your background?
Corporate Law
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Be ready to learn, iterate, receive advice and don't give up. Persistence is key.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
Receiving the trust of like minded investors. Having a community
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Smoking
To learn more about BeVisible, visit: www.bevisible.soy
Founders: Francisco Guijarro & Esteban Yam
GoGrab is a shopping marketplace for on-demand (same-day delivery) stores and subscription services. GoGrab connects retailers, independent sellers, and restaurants with drivers and shoppers. With GoGrab, sellers get a branded e-commerce site and attract new customers while people get a chance to shop from local stores, get same-day delivery, create a subscription calendar, and earn points—all from one platform.
Why did you start your company?
To even up the e-commerce on-demand field for entrepreneurs across Mexico, and Hispanics across the US by giving them all the tools they need to successfully run and manage a successful online store while connecting them with drivers, and shoppers under one platform.
What’s your background?
I'm an international entrepreneur, originally from Mexico but I have been in the US for the last 12 years. I first came to the US just to learn English but I was lucky to stay and complete my advertising degree at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. After that, I moved to San Francisco, where I started my love and passions for startups and technology. Then I moved to Miami which is where I have been running the business from and where I currently live. I have a beautiful wife and a beautiful 9-month-old baby.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Be resilient, believe in yourself, be ready to fall, and don't be scared to pivot. Finally (and sadly) if you are a minority entrepreneur, be ready to take a good amount of time raising funds.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
In simple words, this is awesome. I love being a part of this cultural change that is currently happening in VC and tech. Being a part of the Backstage 100 gives me reasons to believe that I'm doing things right and to continue fighting, not just for me, but for my fellow minority entrepreneurs.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a soccer player (of course!) "but just until I'm old (20), then I will own my own team." Maybe I can still make the second part come true even if it is my kid's soccer team haha.
To learn more about GoGrab, visit: https://www.gograb.io
Founders: Jihan Thompson & Jennifer Lambert
Swivel is a mobile app that lets women of color discover and book the best stylists for their individual hair type and desired style. Whether she wants to wear her hair in braids, curls or locs, Swivel offers women of color the missing resource for nding the right salon or stylist who understands how to work with their hair, so that they can feel valued and embrace their authentic self.
Why did you start your company?
Beauty tech has been an explosive category over the last few years, but when it came to helping women of color find the best hairstylists and have their best hair days, we were either overlooked or treated as an afterthought. We created Swivel because women of color should no longer have to put up with subpar solutions. We're a lucrative but underserved market that deserves a better beauty experience. Women of color spend a lot of money on their hair, and Swivel is helping them spend it better.
What’s your background?
Jihan and Jennifer have known each other since childhood, growing up in Washington, DC. After high school, Jihan went on to UPenn ('07), and spent 10 years as an editor at top women's magazines, including Marie Claire and Oprah. After undergrad at Boston College ('07), Jennifer attended Harvard Law School ('11), and worked as a corporate lawyer (in the areas of M&A, privacy, and cybersecurity) before leaving to launch Swivel.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Don't wait! Build the MVP and get in front of customers as soon as you can. It's the only way to truly know if your idea is sustainable. You will learn so much talking to your customers.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
Backstage Capital truly helped us get started. We first met Arlan at a Female Founders Conference in SF when Swivel was little more than an idea. But once we launched and had real traction, Arlan gave us our first investment capital. That money helped us stay afloat and provided the extra capital we needed to run pivotal tests in those early days. And beyond the investment, the community Backstage has created has been hugely important to us, allowing us to connect with like-minded founders and access mentorship that has opened doors for us. Swivel simply wouldn't be where it is today without Backstage Capital.
Two truths and a lie?
Jihan has: Been to Oprah's house, went skydiving, and was a guest on the Today Show
To learn more about Swivel Beauty, visit: swivelbeauty.com
Founder: Eric Bryant
TextEngine, a product of Gnosis Media Group, brings the richness of the entire Web by text message. Consumers can get weather, news, yellow pages, movies, flight status, and more just by sending a text.
Why did you start your company?
Externally, to help smaller, successful nonprofits raise funds more easily and effectively. Internally, to build my own sense of self-esteem, self-worth and self-sufficiency.
What’s your background?
I am a social entrepreneur who has been building telephony and SMS applications since 2008. An artist at heart, I won a full scholarship to The University of Texas at Austin for classical piano in 1993. In 2007, I began teaching myself Javascript, PHP and Ruby in the evenings while working as a marketing professional by day. I started my first business in 2008 (Gnosis Media Group), a communications consultancy whose first successful product was a text-to-donate application for nonprofits.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Build from your passion, not just a hole in the market. And attend an accelerator/incubator to learn the basics of sound business building.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
Externally, it means I have a network of mentors and supporters to help me grow my business. Internally, it means something invaluable to me: validation for all the sweat and tears and long, sleepless nights over many years. It means I'm no longer a failure and that my life and work counts for something greater than me.
Who would play you in a movie version of your life?
No idea! Chiwetel Ejiofor, maybe?
To learn more about Gnosis Media Group, visit: gmg.cm
Founders:_ Aniyia Williams & Monia Santinello
Tinsel creates wearable tech jewelry for women, addressing their essential tech needs through high quality, highly fashionable fashion accessories. Their first product is an audio necklace, The Dipper, that cleverly conceals headphones within its design. It takes her headphones out of the purse and puts them on her body, without looking like headphones. Play music, take phone calls, or summon Siri while never worrying about your headphones getting twisted in knots, lost, or broken.
Why did you start your company?
To address the lack of consumer electronics designed with women in mind.
What’s your background?
Music, Marketing, Business Development, Nonprofit Fundraising
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and eventually you'll make it to the other side of the room.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
I'm incredibly proud of Arlan and everything that she has built. As one of the earlier Backstage investments, it fills me with pride to see y'all hit the big 1-0-0. Congratulations. What Tinsel has accomplished, and everything that has come of it, would not be possible without Backstage Capital's investment.
To learn more about Tinlse, visit: tinsel.me
Founders: Regina Gwynn & Octavia Pickett Blakely
TresseNoire is an on-demand, at-home beauty booking app designed for women of color. They reduce the wait time in a traditional black hair salon to zero by bringing traveling stylists into your home, hotel room or office, to style hair or makeup.
Why did you start your company?
Octavia and I have had natural hair for over 15 years, and watched the natural beauty movement explode in front of us. The styling experience has stayed the same - frustrating and time consuming. There had to be a better way, so we started TresseNoire to solve this problem.
What’s your background?
Retail marketing/strategy for 15+ years, Kellogg MBA (Regina), Medicine/Nutrition (Octavia)
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Finding talent is going to be ridiculously hard. Start early and build strong relationships to keep them on your team.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
Having Arlan and the entire Backstage team validate your ideas is a game changer. The support is tangible, not only in dollars but in access, real resources and genuine connections.
What’s your most mundane celebrity encounter?
I was on a plane with Marlon wayans to Vegas. We both hit the same store in the airport afterwards!
To learn more about TresseNoire, visit: tressenoire.com
Founders: Afeisha James-Kipps & Kevon Kipps
Wedspire was founded in Toronto, Canada, by Afeisha and Kevon, a bride and groom who married in 2010 and wanted to renew their wedding vows for their 5th year anniversary with a big celebration.
They browsed a litany of wedding blogs, websites & bridal magazines, and felt overwhelmed. They found no easy way to source, vet and purchase wedding products and services in one spot. Determined to help couples seamlessly facilitate planning their big day, they created Wedspire.
Naturally, their unbreakable bond made it very easy to pursue a business partnership, melding their strengths and areas of expertise—Kevon’s background in smart system design leads platform development, and Afeisha’s 10+ years of domain expertise drives the vision, and leads product & biz development.
Why did you start your company?
Out of a personal need. Wedspire was founded by Afeisha and Kevon, a bride and groom who wanted to renew their wedding vows with a big celebration. After browsing through a litany of wedding blogs, Websites and bridal magazines, they felt overwhelmed by endless choices. Determined to help millions of couples experiencing this pain seamlessly plan their big day, they created Wedspire - a curated marketplace for all your wedding planning needs.
What’s your background?
Afeisha has a deep background in events management, including planning the largest Caribbean festival in North America, and managing events and weddings with Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG) in Trinidad and Tobago. Her passion for organizing weddings led her to launch Wedspire in 2014.
A tech guru, Kevon brings this deep experience to the joint venture with his wife, Afeisha. Kevon has worked many years in software development and smart technologies, including starting his own IT security firm, Enigma Corp.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Be in love with solving the problem, and be completely open to iterating your solution until you offer the right pain reliever for your customers.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
There are not enough words in the English language (lol). Simply put - being a headliner feels like a privilege, whereby we've joined a masterclass of underestimated founders who are going to change the world. This is the very DNA of Backstage, where both the VC and founders have a chip on the shoulder, and unapologetic audaciousness. Now THAT is power!
Who would play you in a movie version of your life?
Afeisha: Gabrielle Union / Kevon: The Rock
To learn more about Wedspire, visit: wedspire.com
Founders: Benjamin Males & Nancy Tilbury
XO is an app-connected fashion brand for Gen Z, the 10 to 25 year-old consumers who want to ‘wear the internet’. Customers can customize the color of their garments to digitally express themselves—through the XO app they can create animated, wearable light matched to their unique style, favorite influencers, brands and music artists.
XO is the brainchild of Nancy Tilbury and Benjamin Males, graduates of the Royal College of Art and Imperial college in London and pioneers in wearable technology with over 2 decades of experience. They are best known for making high-profile wearable technology for global artists such as Lady Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas, showcasing their innovative fashion to millions worldwide.
What’s your background?
Benjamin is a mechanical engineer an a designer and Nancy is a fashion designer. They both studied at the Royal College of Art.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Build a vision you can stand by and defend against the non-believers. You’ll meet people along the way who won’t get what you are doing and why but you have to believe.. eventually you’ll win.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
Being part of the family is an honor - it means that we are in a community of like minded founders and can share our experience and get advice. The Backstage crew are are very supportive and there to help us get to the next level.
What’s your most mundane celebrity encounter?
We once pushed past Kanye West to get to Ben Horowitz backstage at an event we were at.
To learn more about XO, visit: xo-world.com
Founder: Russell Ladson
Drop is building the future of discovery in immersive computing. Their mission is to enable each of us to learn about the world in a more meaningful and authentic way.
Based in the Bay Area, Drop is an HTC portfolio company — a team of tech geeks, designers, and flat-out nerds obsessed with the way people discover and interact with the world around them in immersive computing environments. Drop is the “Google Chrome for Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality”.
Why did you start your company?
Drop started as a personal obsession with information discovery on computing devices.
One afternoon while heading back to New York City after a weekend trip, I was a passenger in a near-fatal accident. I recall the moment the ER doctor told me my injuries didn’t match the physics of the accident—that I was lucky to be alive. Having that face-to-face encounter with death reshaped my perspective on the relationship between our human existence and our daily work. This occurred around my third year on Wall Street so I was already contemplating new opportunities.
Unintentionally, Drop became the new opportunity, thus taking this personal obsession and building a product around curiosity, intuition, and empathy.
What’s your background?
I grew up in Philadelphia and then went off to Morehouse College—which was a defining moment in my development as an African American male.
Subsequently, I moved to New York City to work as an investment banking analyst. I am now based in San Francisco where I spend my time working with an exceptional team at Drop, hanging out in art spaces, and hiking while hopping on and off planes to Asia and Los Angeles
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
If this is your first venture, you don't know anything. You do not know how to build a product. You don't know how to hire. So be coachable.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
Being a part of the Backstage 100 is a historical moment. To be a part of this collective of nontraditional founders who are building the next generation of technology products is truly a humbling experience and I am grateful that we can contribute to this moment in time.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
My guilty pleasure is Magnolia Bakery's banana pudding.
To learn more about Drop, visit: www.drop.ai
Founder: KG Charles-Harris
Quarrio has created an AI platform that lets ordinary business users do advanced reporting and analytics without having to learn any new skills. Ask questions in ordinary English and Quarrio provides instantaneous answers in plain English with auto-generated graphs or charts. More importantly, users can then ask follow-up questions and quickly drill down to the information they seek.
Why did you start your company?
To create an easy way for non-data savvy, non-technical people to get information and do data discovery with their corporate systems.
What’s your background?
KG is a former technology investment banker and a force in the international private equity market having worked internationally with companies like NOKA Securities (Scandinavia) and Nesta Advisors & Capital, a boutique biotechnology M&A firm he founded in San Francisco where he worked globally as an advisor to Monsanto Co. and Dow Chemical, as well as several other major corporations. In 1996, he co-founded Hurd for the Fred Olsen family (owners of Timex, Olsen Tankers, etc.), a Scandinavian corporate private equity and venture company focused on new technologies. He also co-founded GenoMar, a genomics company focused on aquaculture and food safety. While at Hurd he led several international projects and co-funded or financed companies from a variety of industries.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Study & network. Ask for advice. Always hustle.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
It's an honor to be part of the Backstage Family. It means that we are part of the chosen few to get investment from a fund started specifically to give people like us an opportunity to excel.
What’s one thing you miss about being a kid?
What I miss about being a kid is the luxury to have unbridled curiosity and spend time exploring and lying in the grass watching the clouds pass overhead.
To learn more about Quarrio, visit quarrio.com
Founders: Kenny Ratton, Cynthia Rubio, Stephan Schwarze
Radiant is an established software company providing technology solutions in the areas of asset tracking and employee safety. They focus on helping large companies and government agencies find the physical ‘location of things’ that have been purchased within their organizations.
Through the use of RFID, GPS, and Beacon technologies, Radiant provides apps that accurately inventory items such as servers in data centers, oil field equipment, and a variety of items for government organizations and large commercial entities. Radiant’s solution solves accountability issues which all businesses encounter: risk, audit, inventory, and utilization. By improving asset visibility Radiant helps its customers bring products to market faster and with less operational error.
Radiant is a HUB-certified minority business headquartered in Austin, Texas. With 10M+ assets managed daily, $12B+ in asset value tracked, and multiple Fortune 500 customers, Radiant is leading the way in RFID, BLE, and GPS technologies to implement modern solutions that automate asset accountability.
Why did you start your company? A love of problem solving and a desire to take a technology and make positive, impactful changes to business organizations.
What’s your background? Prior to founding Radiant Cynthia worked for Trilogy software, Ford Motor Company, and in the aerospace and petroleum industries. Originally from El Paso, Texas Cynthia started her engineering degree at UTEP and completed her BSME at Cal State Northridge; she holds a MSME from Wayne State University.
Cynthia’s 25 years of engineering experience include product development, mechanical design, data analysis, test methods development and technical report writing. In addition to her engineering functions, Ms. Rubio has also developed organizational process flow and cross functional work teams. During her career with Ford Cynthia was recognized for her accomplishments in methods development with the prestigious Customer Driven Quality Award.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started? Don't dismiss the importance of understanding legal issues, contracts, etc. Define the culture that you want at your company; if you don't someone else will.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you? The Backstage Capital investment was a vote of confidence and a huge motivator for us internally. The Backstage team has provided more support, time, and genuine interest in helping our company (and people) be successful.
What’s one thing you miss about being a kid? The one thing I miss about being a kid is spending the weekends at my grandparents house. It must have been great for my parents to have every weekend off but the kids loved it as well. My grandmother was so tender and kind and the best cook EVER. My grandpa took us to the Mercado in Juarez every Saturday morning where we walked around and saw all the vendors selling goods. He had a friend on every corner, there were never any strangers for him.
To learn more about RadiantRFID, visit www.radiantrfid.com
Founders: Damian Pelliccione, Alia J. Daniels, Christopher J. Rodriguez & LaShawn McGhee
Revry is the premiere digital media network for the inclusive 21st century queer community. As the first-ever global queer streaming service, Revry offers its members a uniquely curated selection of domestic and international entertainment that includes iconic narrative and documentary films, cutting-edge series, groundbreaking podcasts, music albums and videos, and originals. Revry is available worldwide on seven OTT, mobile, and online platforms, and hosts an exclusive linear channel on Pluto TV. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Revry’s queer and multi-ethnic team brings decades of experience in the fields of tech, digital media, and queer advocacy.
Why did you start your company?
We saw there was a need for an authentic outlet for diverse queer content and technology had advanced in a way that there weren't the same gatekeepers as before. There was a hole in the market, and it was a no-brainer for us to take our individual expertise and combine them to start Revry.
What’s your background?
Damian is the former head of business development for Make.tv, former new media specialist for Chevrolet and instructor for YouTube. Alia is a business and employment attorney named to rising star by SuperLawyers consecutively for 4 years and was named top 40 under 40 African American Lawyers in Southern California. Christopher J. Rodriguez is an entertainment attorney formerly with United Artists working on shows like Shark Tank and the People's Choice Awards, as well as Original Productions on shows like Deadliest Catch. LaShawn McGhee is an award winning editor working on content such as Selma and the Amazing Race. LaShawn is a graduate of AFI and a veteran.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Know your business. If you truly know your business, the industry that you are in and you are satisfying a need, people can only underestimate you for so long.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
We could not be more proud to be a part of the Backstage 100. Backstage has been such an integral part to our business, not just from a monetary standpoint but the community of like-minded underestimated entrepreneurs has been invaluable for Revry.
To learn more about Revry, visit revry.tv
Founder: Emily Best
Seed&Spark is changing the entertainment industry to reflect the diversity of the world we actually live in.
With a radically transparent model, Seed&Spark uses crowdfunding and subscription streaming to connect unique new voices making movies and shows to diverse audiences hungry for the stories and storytellers who reflect their experiences.
Why did you start your company?
To make the entertainment business look like the world we actually live in. I was a filmmaker trying to make a movie that better represented women on screen. We were thwarted at every stage - funding through distribution by folks who "didn't know who the audience is" for a film about women's friendships. We realized that this was happening to all under-represented people, everywhere, and that the problem was ecosystemic. So we decided to build a new ecosystem.
What’s your background?
Before producing my first feature film, I was producing theater in NY (the inexpensive downtown kind) and waiting tables to support myself. In fact, I waited tables through the first year of working on Seed&Spark and found out I got my first angel investment while working in my apron and tie. (And I didn't quit for several more months!.)
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Stay focused on your customer, engage with them, ask them a lot of questions. Make sure you're building what they really need (or that you're talking to the right customer.)
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
Arlan invested in Seed&Spark when I was at my lowest moment. She put wind in my sails to keep going. The headliners are the smartest people I know, alchemists who know how to make something out of nothing. It's an honor to be among them.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be an OBGYN from the time I was like 4. I didn't know what the "gyn" stood for, but I would announce it proudly as a tiny person.
To learn more about Seed&Spark, visit: seedandspark.com
Founders: Khary Septh & Kyle Banks
The Tenth Magazine is a Brooklyn based biannual art and culture publication that documents the history, ideas and aesthetics of the Black LGBT community and is a subsidiary of Conclave Entertainment.
Why did you start your company?
To expand the narrow focus of the media in the LGBTQ mediascape, not just as it relates to representation for people of color, but also to create channels for our voices to explore and shape culture in-and-around everything from history to technology, thus creating a new information economy that is unique to us, that we can own, and interface with the mainstream from, thus creating value and new economic opportunities.
What’s your background?
We've collectively spent years in the creative industries, as directors for big names in fashion and entertainment, and each of us studied art and economics at the academy respectively.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
The importance of team-building. There's an isolation factor involved in being an entrepreneur, which can be a very solitary, internal journey, and which requires extreme focus. But the world is a living, breathing organism with many arms--most of which, the solitary entrepreneur just can not shake but might need to as connectivity is key expanding business opportunities. Develop a team--no matter how small--that can be out there, shaking hands, kissing babies, gathering data and market feedback, so that you can expand your reach exponentially while staying focused on whichever lane it is you MOST need to be driving in for the overall success of the company.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
As mentioned above, connectivity is key, but we can't forget the importance of community as well. Being a part of the Backstage 100 has taken us OFF of the island, and plugged us into a network of entrepreneurs who share similar missions, thus even if we've yet to create business synergies from within it, it is a wildly motivating force to see the milestones that the Backstage 100 are making, and that keeps our team inspired, and vitalized. Knowing the portfolio of services and products offered amongst the group also keeps our business strategy nimble and minds thinking outside of the "publishing" box we (mostly, up to now) have lived in. It's exciting to think of the potential of this network called the Backstage 100. It always feels accessible, it always feels available, and that, on a mental level, is a great assist. Backstage's initial investment may have fueled our 2017/8 gains, but this factor certainly means just as much to us.
Most mundane celebrity encounter?
Kyle and I meeting Rihanna the week before Umbrella released. Well, KICKING HER OUT of our VIP section at Bungalo 8 in NYC, for at the time, we were with the big dogs--Puff, Naomi. Two weeks later after that record dropped, she was the most famous and sought after girl in the world. It's a funny thing, because her face... the mortification of being dismissed... makes us smile, because when you do it against all odds--as she did, you never forget the struggle, and perhaps, stay humble.
To learn more about The Tenth Media, visit: thetenthmagazine.com
Founder: Jessica O. Matthews
Uncharted Power is a power company based in Harlem, NY. Their MORE (Motion-based, Off-grid, Renewable Energy) technology transforms anything that moves into a source of renewable, convenient power. This proprietary embedded micro generation technology harnesses kinetic energy to power microgrids for communities, large facilities, and the Internet of Things.
Uncharted Power is on a mission to democratize energy, and their vision is to create a world where everything that moves around us is a source of clean, convenient, and affordable power. Their clients include large corporations and governments across Africa, with a particular focus on partners in Nigeria, Rwanda, Angola, Malawi, and Senegal.
What’s your background?
Jessica O. Matthews is the Founder & CEO of Uncharted Power, an award-winning renewable power company that specializes in harnessing the energy from motion to create entire ecosystems of power for communities around the world. The company was founded by Jessica when she was only 22 years old. Jessica was invited by President Barack Obama to the White House to represent small companies for the signing of the America Invents Act in 2012. In 2016, she raised what is presently the largest Series A ever raised by a black female founder in history, and was selected to ring the NASDAQ opening ceremony bell, representing all Forbes 30 Under 30 alumna. Jessica’s research and career centers around the intersection of disruptive technology, renewable energy, human behavior, and the psychology of self-actualization. A dual citizen of Nigeria & the U.S., Jessica has a degree in Psychology and Economics from Harvard University, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and is listed on over 10 patents and patents pending—including her first invention of the SOCCKET, an energy generating soccer ball, at the age of 19. Her list of accolades include Fortune’s Most Promising Women Entrepreneurs, Forbes 30 under 30 list, Inc Magazine 30 under 30, and Harvard University Scientist of the Year.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
I personally don’t believe that any one company or person can solve the world’s problems. Instead, we need systems that recruit different types of people to give different perspectives that can benefit the growth strategy of any business. People from various communities should embrace this advantage of being able to look at situations in a new way, because this is smart business.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
"Having Backstage as an investor in Uncharted Power played a major role in inspiring us to take a giant leap forward when we changed our company name from Uncharted Play to Uncharted Power, embracing our future as a power company that is disrupting the very meaning of the word ‘power’ and broadening the field for minority representation in clean energy solutions." - Jessica O. Matthews, Founder + CEO of Uncharted Power
Which celebrity is your personality doppelganger?
I like to consider myself a cross between Bill Nye the Science Guy and Beyonce
To learn more about Uncharted Power, visit www.u-pwr.com
Founder: Darren Buckner
Workfrom is a community and global brand built to address the unique needs of remote workers and independent professionals.
Their flagship product is the world’s largest crowdsourced app for trusted places to work remotely in every city. It’s now possible to discover a wide range of vetted spaces to get work in more than 1500 cities worldwide. Workfrom is the most comprehensive source for workplace-specific details — WiFi speeds, access to power outlets, and even background noise levels — for a variety of spaces including coffee shops, cafes, bars, restaurants, and coworking spaces. Finding a great place to be productive shouldn’t be hard, and now it’s dead simple.
Why did you start your company?
To help people find a place to get work done, wherever they are.
What’s your background?
I'm the third child of six (and the only boy). I started my first company at age 19. That business lasted for about 18 months before it failed, but the entrepreneurship bug remained alive.
I spent more than half a decade in my twenties working as a bouncer in nightclubs, all the while teaching myself to code (picture me leaving work at 6am, heading home, then sitting at my computer — which I built from scratch — for another 5 hours teaching myself before passing out).
As my software skills evolved, I started taking on odd freelance jobs — and eventually I was hired to work full time as a software engineer.
Before founding Workfrom, I designed and developed software for companies like the NFL, Connexity, and NBC Universal.
My passion for working on my terms fueled my desire to help others do the same. After several years of working remotely and struggling to find good spots to get work done, I talked to my potential customers, discovered the problems we were all having, and built the first iteration of Workfrom while visiting the Oregon coast for a weekend...
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
This journey you're embarking on may take you to places you want to go, and some you'd rather avoid. Don't try doing this alone. Very rarely will you come across any one decision that will make or break your success.
In fact, success itself can be rather elusive to define. You're going to set out with a notion of success that will change (I promise). Embracing the change is a good idea, because it's coming wether you like it or not.
Look for trends in the advice you get from others. If you're looking, you'll see them — and they will be dignified in hindsight.
Make reversible decisions quickly. Take time on irreversible ones (hint: there are rarely any of these).
Set milestones, use data whenever you can, and find ways to take care of your personal health. It's very easy to push for months — even years — on sheer determination, grit, and little attention to self. Please understand that will end and it's unlikely you'll be exactly where you want to be when it does.
It will take longer than you expect. Much longer.
Buckle up. It's an amazing (and costly) ride.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
It's an honor for Workfrom to be a Backstage portfolio company. Especially so to be a Backstage 100 company (number 50 baby!).
What's being created, this movement, the timing, and the family we are a part of is special.
We're proud to be a part of this movement, and we work hard to represent it to the fullest!
There are times in life, and business, when a movement is clearly afoot — and at this very moment, Backstage is championing a important change in the world.
And it's in these moments where people like us have some choices to make.
We can recognize what's coming, contribute earnestly, celebrate the wins in our community, and help blaze a path forward that helps everyone move ahead.
Or we can sit idle and watch. But we're not here for that!
To learn more about Workfrom, visit workfrom.co
Founders: Damola Ogundipe; Yemi Adewunmi; Shawntera Hardy; Ken Thompson
Civic Eagle is a SaaS for political and policy advocacy. We use machine learning to help you track policies, predict policy outcomes, and measure the potential impact on the communities you serve at the Federal, State, and local levels of government. We help you manage the stakeholders of your organization more effectively with our industry leading engagement toolkit. White-label our award winning mobile application and help the communities you serve become educated on policy, provide video testimonials, and engage with their elected officials.
Why did you start your company?
Because we believe in the power of technology to innovate (and improve) political engagement
What’s your background?
Damola, CEO, has been an entrepreneur since he was nine, and in 2015, decided to use his experiences as an innovator and passion for social impact and technology, to bring together a team of diverse founders to start Civic Eagle. He’s a 2017 Google Entrepreneur in Residence; 2017 Minnesota Business Magazine 35 under 35; and 2016 Minneapolis and St. Paul 100 People to Know. He’s also been featured as a speaker at The Personal Democracy Forum; Code2040 Summit; and South by Southwest (SXSW).
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Thank and acknowledge the people that believe in you. Don't dwell on those that don't.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
The word that comes to mind is "Unity". Being part of the Backstage 100 unites us with 99 other underestimated founders that are audacious, brilliant, and unrelenting in their pursuit of excellence. It means that we have a special bond that, when united, cannot be broken. It's special to be part of something so much bigger and more meaningful than even the company you're growing.
Who would play you in the movie version of your life?
In a movie version of myself, Derek Luke would play me (Damola). Too many people tell me we look alike, so might as well roll with it.
To learn more about Civic Eagle, visit www.civiceagle.com
Founders: Aneela Idnani (Kumar), Sameer Kumar, John Pritchard, Kirk Klobe
HabitAware makes Keen, a smart awareness bracelet that helps people overcome subconscious mental health behaviors, like excessive hair pulling, nail biting, and skin picking. Keen uses personalized gesture detection to bring awareness to the unwanted behavior. This awareness empowers positive change by offering people the opportunity to make a new choice.
Keen was created out of personal need — Aneela, one of the co-founders, suffered in isolation and shame from a hair pulling disorder (trichotillomania) for over 20 years until, with the increased awareness enabled by Keen, they were able to avoid the behavior.
HabitAware’s mission is to raise awareness of subconscious behavioral issues and end the stigma around mental health.
Why did you start your company?
We started HabitAware out of personal necessity. Our founder, Aneela, has suffered from trichotillomania (compulsive hair pulling) for more than 20 years. Hair pulling is part of a group of mental health disorders that causes distress and loss of quality of life for millions of Americans. When she shared this secret with her husband, Sameer, they set out to solve it with a smart bracelet that made her aware of the often subconscious movements. With the power of awareness we are changing lives for people around the world.
What’s your background?
Aneela studied accounting in undergrad. After working as an auditor for 3 years, she returned to school to study graphic design, creative strategy and advertising. She is now HabitAware's President + Director of Design & Marketing.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Take the leap, but don’t quit your day job until you absolutely can afford to. When in doubt remind yourself that you are a role model to your children. If you want them to pursue their dreams in the future, they need to see the possibilities from you, albeit with hard work! If you aren’t having fun anymore, it’s probably time to call it quits. And if that time comes, remember that quitting is not failing. Learn from it and allow yourself to move on to bigger & better things that await.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
Backstage is not about the financial investment. It is about the movement, the advisory and the personal investment of time & expertise that Arlan, Christie and team pour into each Headliner. Backstage is on a mission to empower those that were marginalized by typical American culture. To be a Headliner is to embody this mission, as we do at HabitAware.
What is your guilty pleasure?
My guilty pleasure is list-making!g Aafter the fact - I love just to get the satisfaction of crossing things off the list!
To learn more about HabitAware, visit www.habitaware.com
Founders: Ramona Ortega & Gina Pellegrini
My Money My Future is a Personal Financial Management platform for underserved millennials, guiding them through their most important financial decisions. We give you easy to follow plans and tools for all your financial decisions, we break down financial jargon so there is no confusion, and we give you easy to follow plans in bite-sized pieces so you don't get overwhelmed. More than just a platform, My Money My Future we are a community of millennials like you ready to get their money in order.
Why did you start your company?
To ensure that diverse communities have access to quality financial guidance. We are activating a new market to build long-term wealth.
What’s your background?
Ramona is a serial entrepreneur with over a decade of leadership in the public and private sectors. Prior to leading My Money My Future, Ortega was a corporate securities attorney in New York where she worked on complex securities litigation. Ortega also founded a boutique research consulting firm and a New York based international non-profit and has spent over a decade working on policy initiatives involving economic inequality and human rights. Ortega has a B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles and a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Be committed to the journey and execution.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
It is so much more than the investment with Backstage, it is being part of a movement that will change the ecosystem, with the growth of Backstage and the growth of the portfolio companies. We are a collective essentially and each one of us will make the whole so much stronger. We are what's next.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
As a kid I wanted to be a 60 Minutes journalist, I ended up interning there and that's how I ended up in NYC.
To learn more about My Money My Future, visit: mymoneymyfuture.co
Founders: Ayinde Alakoye & Jason Medeiros
nēdl (as in the haystack) is a B2B2C solution addressing a $44.1B global ad market with an AI-powered search engine to make live radio more user-friendly for listeners and measurable for advertisers.
The platform allows radio listeners to use speech recognition to eliminate the need to go station-to-station for the specific news, sports, talk information, and entertainment they want to hear. In addition to searching over 120,000 domestic and international live broadcast streams that nēdl has secured, you can also search live user-generated content, as anyone can start their own live broadcast, allowing others to discover them in real-time search results as they are speaking.
Why did you start your company?
To democratize access to information and the microphone itself.
What’s your background?
Ayinde is a "radio guy," an avid beach volleyball player, Executive Board Member of The Developers Alliance, creator of iheartradio’s first app, and former top advertising sales executive for WTOP, Clear Channel and CBS Radio.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Know why you're doing what you're doing and never lose sight of it.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
I've been a founder since 2003 and Arlan was my first venture capital investor. Add to this, I know how big Arlan's vision for underrepresented founders is. So, it means a lot that she would chose us in the 100 because we have an even greater responsibility to succeed - not just for nēdl but for the entrepreneurs who come behind us.
Who would play you in the movie version of your life?
LeBron James.
To learn more about nēdl, visit: findnedl.com
Founder: Denise Woodard
Partake Foods provides meals and snacks that are delicious, safe, and nutritious for conscious eaters. Free of gluten, the top 8 allergens, and artificial ingredients, their products are made with real foods like sprouted grains, fruits and vegetables, giving peace-of-mind to those with dietary restrictions and simple enjoyment to those without.
Partake Foods invites those who are conscious eaters to realize that they, too, can enjoy foods that deliver superior taste and quality, while staying safe and healthy. They believe that everyone should have an equal opportunity to eat and share foods regardless of restrictions, because doing so creates deep connection with others and within ourselves.
Why did you start your company?
My 3 year old daughter Vivienne has multiple food allergies.s, and when I couldn't find anything that met her dietary restrictions, my nutritional standards, and tasted good, I started Partake Foods. Our goal is to bring peace of mind to those with dietary restrictions and simple enjoyment to those without.
What’s your background?
I spent over 10 years in Consumer Packaged Goods, most recently at Coca-Cola in their Venturing & Emerging Brands division, where I was the Director, National Sales.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Share your story! You never know who is a potential investor, has a possible connection that could help you, or could be a future customer. Also&, these wise words from Dory (Finding Nemo) - Just keep swimming!
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
I am SO proud to be a part of the Backstage Capital family. Fundraising was challenging - and I had the "right career experience", a product that had traction (commitment from Whole Foods, Kickstarter that finished in the top 1% of food Kickstarter campaigns EVER, product that had won multiple awards) and still heard "no" over and over again, and got the questions that I know my male counterparts aren't getting "how will you juggle it all?", "what does your husband think about this?". To have Arlan and the Backstage team believe in our vision & be a part of a larger crop of amazing, but underestimated founders is so powerful, and I'm excited to see the Backstage family grow.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?_
I wanted to be an orthodontist. My orthodontist went on vacation all the time, so I equated going on vacation with being an orthodontist!
To learn more about Partake, visit:: partakefoods.com
Founder: Cary Grant
Premo is a digital video network offering curated, cross-cultural content to a diverse generation of viewers hungry for smart, edgy content.
Why did you start your company?
I wanted to address the lack of compelling, diverse programming on digital platforms, and to make multicultural content more discoverable.
What’s your background?
Former distribution executive for Discovery Communications; Former Head of Content Acquisitions for Barnes & Noble's Nook Media business.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Stay focused, never worry about your competition, keep things simple, and most importantly - don't give up if you truly believe in our business! Especially when things get really tough.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
It means that there is finally an investor out there that truly believes in founders who are not only smart, but passionate and represent the world we live in - diverse and inclusive. Backstage is one of the few VCs that makes quick and direct decisions when investing. In my mind they not only broke the usual early seed model, they reinvented it.
What is one thing you miss about being a kid?
Dreaming big dreams with no filter.
To learn more about Premo, visit premonetwork.com
Founders: Andrew Murray Dunn & Mayank Saxena
Siempo is reimagining tech tools so that they empower people to be present at home, focused at work and school, and flourishing in life. Siempo’s mission is to help people build healthier relationships with technology, because they envision a world in which technology supports humans being.
The Siempo Home App transforms any smartphone into a more intentional experience. Calm your home screen, create distance between distracting apps, and batch notifications in order to prevent unconscious use. Inspired by design standards from The Center for Humane Technology, Siempo is both the protective gear you need to navigate our attention-grabbing digital world, and the friendly mentor to help build healthy digital habits.
Why did you start your company?
We started Siempo out of a growing concern for the impact of the attention economy on the health of individuals and society. We wanted to help people balance the power of technology with how it could enrich their lives.
What’s your background?
Andrew's background is in building operations and culture at international early stage startups, while Mayank has deep experience bringing visionary hardware and software products to market.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Don't get too caught up in the "doing" and forget all about the "being."
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
It feels wonderful to work with impact investors who are aligned with our values. We are consistently inspired by Arlan and her team's leadership in the business world.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
My guilty pleasure: icing shots. Yum!
To learn more about Siempo, visit getsiempo.com
Founder: Bea Arthur
The Difference provides access to therapy as an Alexa Skill. Though reports of mental health issues are on the rise, access to quality counseling remains a huge hurdle. By merging psychology with technology, The Difference has created an affordable and anonymous way to get support on your own time, and in your own space.
Founder and licensed therapist, Bea Arthur, has been called “innovative and inspiring” by the American Counseling Association. She’s leading the modern mental health movement as one of the first to move therapy online with streaming video, and now she’s innovating once again utilizing voice technology. Bea is a regular contributor to Forbes and Fox & Friends, and has been featured in Elle, Fast Company, Huffington Post, NPR, CNN, and MTV. She was named part of the New Guard of women in tech by Marie Claire magazine as well as an Entrepreneur To Bet On by Newsweek Magazine. A Columbia University alum and TEDx speaker, she was also the first African American woman to be accepted into the prestigious Y Combinator startup accelerator program.
The right talk at the right time can make all the difference.
Why did you start your company?
I think the world will be a happier, healthier place when universal access to high quality therapy is a reality. I’m talking stronger marriages, higher performing employees, self-aware teenagers with impulse control - a general shift in our culture towards self-discovery and mutual understanding, and away from distracting, destructive coping mechanisms.
What’s your background?
I'm a first generation Ghanaian-American with a dual masters in Counseling and Clinical Psychology from Columbia University. The Difference is my third company and I was the first African-American female CEO accepted into Y Combinator. I'm also an editorial contributor for Forbes and host of their digital series Office Hours, where I provide career therapy to aspiring female "intrapreneurs."
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
1 Learn by doing 2 Keep a strong, support network of non-startup people around you to keep you humble and give you perspective 3 Be laser-focused on your vision and be extremely intentional in your roadmap to get there. Don't get distracted by the bullshit. 4 Practice self-care, exercise, and keep your mind right 5 Seek mentorship but trust your instincts
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
In my experience, being a woman and person of color in tech is to rarely be taken seriously. Shout out to Arlan for letting the world know that not only do we deserve respect, but also investment, opportunities, access, and success. Like all founders, I'm just trying to live my dream and make the world a better place. But entrepreneurship can be an extremely lonely road; even moreso when you are the one of the only raisins in the rice. So to not only have financial backing, but also advocacy, advising and cheerleading from Backstage makes all The Difference! She is truly leading by example, and seeing her fight the good fight to lift all of us up is the ultimate encouragement. What Backstage is doing is historic and heroic and I'm just glad to be a part of it.
What’s your most mundane celebrity encounter?
I've been stalking Trevor Noah for a year now; it's going pretty well I think!
To learn more about The Difference, visit: thedifference.co, and learn more about Bea at beaarthurtherapy.com
Founder: Morgen Bromell
What’s your background?
Before I foundedThurst, I worked at Tivo, Complex Media, several prominent NYC marketing agencies and an MIT startup. I also attended Northeastern University and Pratt Institute.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Create a foundation of discipline, faith, and a healthy routine that will allow you to persevere through the ups and downs of building a company.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
Being apart of the Backstage 100 is an incredible honor for so many reasons: I deeply admire Arlan's hustle , sheer will, and fortitude in regards to committing to funding 100 companies in an ecosystem that has turned away so many talented marginalized founders. Arlan and the Backstage Crew work consistently to make not only funding, but access to spaces, people, resources, and information readily available and in a direct manner. The Backstage Crew is nothing short of a force to be reckoned with. Being included in a group of incredibly intelligent and resilient founders, crew members, and mentors is not only extremely validating and but indicative of the path we all must continue to clear, for the founders and techies to follow. The Backstage 100 is a group of innovators, pioneers, and change makers shaping how we view access and merit - I am humbled by the accomplishments of my peers and grateful for the opportunity to be apart of history, not just for tech founders and VC funding, but for the culture of innovation as a whole.
Who would play you in the movie version of your life?
Honestly and truly, I would love Angela Bassett to play me in the movie version of my life. The age and gender wouldn't matter - the level of dramatics and intensity she is able to convey in just an eye squint is all I could wish for.
To learn more about Thurst, visit: thurst.co
Founders: Elizabeth Davis, Tre Kirkman & Brandon Hill
Why did you start your company?
We were tired of the state of the national discourse and the toxic role traditional and social media have been played in it. So we wanted to build a place for millennials to discover and exchange fresh perspectives in a productive way.
What’s your background?
I'm originally from Minnesota, and was deeply inspired by Barack Obama's election as a high schooler. I went on to graduate from Stanford with degrees in political science and African & African-American studies, where I served as the Student Body Vice President and was an intern in the White House.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Your ancestors have given you all the tools you need to succeed. For women, people of color, LGBTQIA folk, survival, bootstrapping, hustling, creating innovations from nothing are all molecules of our DNA. Be confident and go build.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
Backstage is a special village in that I feel that all parts of our mission and vision are valued. We can be unapologetic about our identities and our ambition.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was a kid I wanted to be a train engineer and drive passenger trains across the country!
To learn more about Greo, visit: greo.com
Founders: Dr. Johnetta MacCalla, Mr. John Harding & Dr. Ayanna Howard
Zyrobotics designs smart mobile technologies for educational and accessible play. Zyrobotics' learning games have received numerous recognitions and awards, inlcluding Platinum Award, Editor's Choice Award, Atlanta Best in Mobile Hardware Award, Creative Child Magazine 2017 Book of the Year award, and more. The Zumo learning system has also received the 2016 Seal of Excellence and Kid’s Product of the Year as well as the Global Elevate Award.
Why did you start your company?
Zyrobotics was founded based on an unexpected journey. One of our founders received a grant a few years ago as a professor at Georgia Tech that enabled her to develop robot programming camps for children with special needs, which ultimately led to our Zumo accessible electronic learning system. Our mission is to create AI-powered technologies that engage and empower children. We do this by ensuring our unique patented technology is engaging to and can be used by all children.
What’s your background?
I am the CEO of Zyrobotics, responsible for corporate management. A 35 year serial entrepreneur I have been responsible for projects at BART, Port of LA, TRW, NASA, and DOD. I was also the CEO of ASCI, a communications/controls company and President of Advanced Systems Concepts, focused on military communications. I was Chairman of LAMTA Foundation,a board member of the California High Speed Rail Commission, member of CCST, the National Office Advisory Panel, Public Interest Energy Research Program, and CCST Policy Fellowship Review Board. I have held faculty positions at CalPoly, Spelman College, USC, and West Coast University. I am an electrical engineer by trade with degrees from Brown, Stanford and a Ph.D.EE. from USC.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Don't give up, you must be prepared to make sacrifices and its all about relationships. My favorite quote is: “I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.” - Steve Jobs
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
It means that we now have access to expert counseling, a better chance to receive serious venture funding, and a welcoming place to meet others with the same concerns that we have.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Binge reading science fiction, suspenseful romance and fantasy books.
To learn more about Zyrobotics, visit: zyrobotics.com
Founders: Kristen Sonday & Felicity Conrad
Paladin is a platform that helps organizations manage, staff and track pro bono efforts. Lawyers create an online profile with their legal interests and skills, as well as availability, and Paladin regularly sends the user a list of potential pro bono cases. They also can search through a database of existing opportunities.
Once representation begins, Paladin tracks data on the case, which it shares with the lawyer’s employer in a way that excludes identifying information. At this point, in-house counsels mostly use Paladin.
Why did you start your company?
In the United States, every lawyer has a professional responsibility to do 50 hours of pro bono work per year, yet 86% of low income individuals who need legal help don't receive it (i.e. the justice gap). At Paladin, we're working to increase access to justice by helping legal teams run more efficient pro bono programs.
What’s your background?
Before founding Paladin, Felicity was a litigator in the New York office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. An alumnus of McGill University, Sciences Po Paris and NYU Law, she has performed human rights-related work in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Haiti and China and joined the United Nations to work on International Criminal Court issues. Felicity was NYU Law School of Law’s Featured Alumnus in December 2016 and is a frequent speaker on the intersection between pro bono and technology.
After graduating from Princeton, Kristen joined the U.S. Department of Justice, where she worked on international criminal affairs in Mexico and Central America. After the DOJ, she joined the founding team of Grouper (Y Combinator W’12), learning how to build startups and use technology to scale networks. Kristen has served as a Fellow for Stanford’s Latino Entrepreneur Leaders Program and as a Code2040 Entrepreneur-in-Residence, and as a result of her access to justice work through Paladin, she's been named an ABA Woman in Legaltech to Watch.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Constantly push yourself out of your comfort zone. If you're not failing fast and feeling uncomfortable, you're not learning.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
The justice gap disproportionately affects women, immigrants, and minorities, and we feel strongly that those communities should be part of the solution. That's why we're proud to have a team comprised of such diverse backgrounds and investors who understand what it's like to fight for those underserved.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
As kids, Felicity wanted to be an archaeologist and Kristen wanted to be an astronaut! Never too late
To learn more about Paladin, visit: joinpaladin.com
Founder: Tanya Van Court
Goalsetter is on a mission to make the next generation of kids financially healthy and all-around happy. With Goalsetter, parents and kids work together create a savings account, set a goal, and save for it. Friends, aunts, uncles and loved ones can help kids reach their goals by gifting GoalCards. Because saving money is not only important – with Goalsetter, it’s also fun.
Goalsetter was named the winner of the People’s Choice Award at FinCon, one of the largest Financial Technology conferences in the country, and has been recognized in countless publications, blogs, and parenting circles as an awesome (and fun) way to teach kids the power of saving.
What’s your background?
Tanya has 2 degrees in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University, and spent 15 years launching new products for companies like ESPN and Discovery Education. As the daughter of two elementary school teachers, Tanya’s passion is helping kids to learn, and ensuring that all kids have an opportunity to be successful in school and in life.
Prior to founding Goalsetter, Tanya led Nickelodeon’s Digital Preschool and Parenting Division, where she was responsible for NickJr.com, and routinely hung out with Dora and Spongebob.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
It's a marathon not a sprint, but even marathons have mile markers. Accomplish as much as you can with as few of resources as you can to maximize your opportunity for future investment, partnerships, and growth.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
Backstage's investment isn't just an investment in a company, it's an investment in an ecosystem and a movement. Investment from Backstage sets us on a path to become the next wave of investors in minority and LGBTQ-led companies, so that we can collectively change the game.
What is one thing you miss about being a kid?
Summers off and Saturday morning cartoons.
To learn more about Goalsetter, visit: www.goalsetter.co
Founders: Caroline Strzalka & Christine Strzalka
What’s your background?
Caroline and Christine are sisters. Caroline is a media executive, having built Sesame Street's and Scholastic's digital businesses. She has an MBA from Wharton and also used to be an investment banker. Christine is an an award-winning floral designer -- a 7-time winner of the Philadelphia Flower Show which is the largest indoor flower show in the world. She is also marketing communications specialist and has a MA in Broadcast Journalism from NYU.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Starting a business is among the hardest things you can do. The road is lonely, but you can surround yourself with people who will love and support you through the ups and downs.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
Backstage's focus on diversity and believing in the founder mirrors It's By U's focus on empowering everyone. We feel like it's a perfect fit and we're so thrilled to be part of this community of underrepresented founders.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Caroline wanted to be a ballerina and Christine wanted to be Wonder Woman. :)
To learn more about It's By U, visit: itsbyu.com
Founders: Greta McAnany & Lauren Tracy
Blue Fever is a video distributor for young women that delivers movies and series to them via text message. A 1:1 video distribution service for the modern young woman, Blue Fever talks to her like a best friend and text message short movies and series directly to her phone. All entertainment is made and curated by people just like her and is personalized to her current emotions and mood.
Slay the day with Blue Fever.
Why did you start your company?
We initially started Blue Fever to solve our own problem as female filmmakers in Hollywood. Then we realized there was a MUCH bigger problem in how the Internet distributes media to women. Our goal has pivoted to changing the way women see themselves and the way the world sees us through a new distribution and media lens.
What’s your background?
Entertainment and Media
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Trust your gut and keep iterating on your idea. You'll fail a lot but you'll also learn a TON. Keep it up and have patience.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
Backstage's investment is one of the most important investments we've ever gotten. We've gotten no's from lots of investors but when Arlan told us she couldn't invest in us because she needed to make sure she invested in more women of color before she made another investment in more white women, it made us want Backstage investment more. Her "no" made us respect her and see that she was someone who walked the walk and talked the talk (mainly through her awesome twitter presence). THAT'S the kind of investor we want backing a company that is out to change a massive and insidious societal problem. We are so proud to be a part of the Backstage Family because it means that change is on the horizon and that THIS is the future of tech.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I (Greta) was a kid I wanted to either be the woman who did Yoplait Yogurt commercials (get paid to eat- yes!) OR Oprah. I think I liked that they both got to be on TV and got to speak to such a big audience. I hope both Oprah and the Yoplait lady sign up for Blue Fever.
To learn more about Blue Fever, visit: bluefever.com
Founders: Ugwem I. Eneyo & Cole Stites-Clayton
Solstice Energy Solutions develops integrated IoT and software solutions for intelligent management of distributed energy resources. With an initial focus on emerging markets, Solstice is helping homes and businesses that struggle with unreliable electricity grids to save money and achieve cleaner, more reliable power.
Their first product, the Solstice SHYFT is among the first digital transfer switches of its kind, providing unprecedented levels of intelligence, flexibility, and control of energy resources for residential and commercial buildings. Just as Nest redefined the thermostat, Solstice is bringing much needed innovation to the transfer switch through SHYFT. Now users can monitor, manage, and control all energy sources (utility, generators, solar, and/or batteries) from a simple mobile application, while Solstice helps harmonize and optimize the system.
Co-founders Ugwem Eneyo and Cole Stites-Clayton met while they were engineering graduate students at Stanford University, conducting research on energy systems and sustainability. Through Solstice, they remain committed to driving the clean energy transition in emerging markets.
To learn more about Solstice, visit: solstice.io
Founders: Stephanie Cummings & Seany Denson
With over 55% of working Americans citing household management as a constant source of stress, many are looking for solutions to help achieve work-life balance. Please Assist Me is a tech-enabled platform that allows users to come home to groceries in the fridge, a tidy house, laundry completed, and so much more. A thoroughly-vetted personal assistant team completes requested household needs week after week via a single mobile app, eliminating the need for customers to use multiple service providers for each task. Please Assist Me has partnered with several apartment complexes and condominiums to offer their service as an amenity for residents.
Co-founders Stephanie Cummings and Seany Denson saw the need for a home management solution due to their fast-paced careers.
What’s your background?
Stephanie’s background is Healthcare IT and Seany’s background is non-profit operations. After graduating with her Master of Business Administration, Stephanie worked in Healthcare IT and managed a product that generated $1M in revenue during its first year on the market. Seany worked in operations for a non-profit and was responsible for an inner-city after-school program that served hundreds of children daily.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Never stop! Entrepreneurship is a journey, embrace it.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
Backstage Capital’s investment helped validate our company. Other investors and partners who didn’t give us a chance as two African- American females now saw us as a successful company.
What's your most mundane celebrity encounter?
I sat beside Jill Scott at the nail salon.
To learn more about Please Assist Me, visit: pleaseassistme.com
Founder: Joshua Adam Brueckner
Air Tailor is at the forefront of solving fit with a leading-edge clothing alterations platform that connects skilled tailor shops with consumer's closets and favorite retail brands.
Why did you start your company?
In 2012, I was laid off from my job at a photography agency and realized that I needed to update the clothes in my own closet for interviews. To save on costs, I began studying clothing alterations in order to complete the work myself without having to pay a tailor shop. I quickly discovered a talent for tailoring and parlayed that into an online necktie alteration company that specialized in slimming traditional ties to a modern, stylish width. The business grew quickly and after altering over 10,000 neckties for customers in more than 12 countries, the service expanded into Air Tailor to begin offering other tailoring services to consumers and fashion retailers.
What’s your background?
I was born and raised in Ohio and studied at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. I also served full-time in Chicago and Los Angeles for City Year, a national non-profit organization under Americorps focused on improving literacy for at-risk youth.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Be open to advice and pivoting, but be strong in whatever direction you go. Starting and running a company takes guts, but you must be open.
What does being a part of the Backstage 100 mean to you?
It's clear that Backstage Capital celebrates the founders that are often overlooked. As a gay founder with no college degree, I've certainly felt "put to the side" by some on this journey. Not with Backstage Capital. They believe in my value and they’ve backed my company with spirited initiative. By being part of the Backstage 100, I am involved in progress.
What's your guilty pleasure?
When I ate meat, my guilty pleasure was McDonald’s. I would order so much that I would have to bring a tote bag to carry and conceal it all as I did the walk of shame back to my apartment. I still crave it.
To learn more about Air Tailor, visit: airtailor.com
Founders: Leah LaSalla & José La Placa Amigò
Astral AR didn’t just solve a problem, they invented an industry: the world’s most advanced drone piloting system and safety tech for next-gen public good. They build a neuromechanical, robotically-enhanced, limited mass customization, long-range drone piloting system. They give pilots telepresence: the ability to be in two places at once, via immersive augmented reality (AR).
Astral AR’s drones are specifically designed as lifesaving tools for rescue operations and public safety. For example, “Charlie” is a firedrone for both urban and wilderness/rural fire departments, and “Edna” is a bullet-stopping drone for law enforcement. Bottom line: maximum survival for all involved.
The only U.S. owned and operated drone tech company that stores its data on U.S. servers, Astral AR can provide these tools to governmental agencies in compliance with the law. Their customers are primarily local/state/federal public service agencies, as well as enterprise companies and international governments.
A minority-, woman-, disabled-, and veteran-owned business, Astral’s motto is: “Diversity, Transparency, and Saving The World.” An open and distributed company, most of Astral AR’s employees work remotely, with offices in Austin, Texas and Chicago, Illinois. It’s a diverse team of individuals — over seven are bilingual, ages range from early 30s to early 60s, and the extended team includes 15 kids, 14 cats, and 8 dawgs.
To learn more about Astral, visit: astralar .com
Founder: Mary Spio
CEEK is an award winning developer of premium social virtual and augmented reality experiences. Headquartered in beautiful Miami Beach, Florida our mission is to make virtual reality experiences universally accessible and enjoyable.
CEEK simulates the communal experience of attending a live concert, being in a classroom, attending a sporting event and other ‘money can’t buy’ exclusive experiences with friends from anywhere at anytime.
CEEK’s partners and clients include Universal Music, Google, CAA, and Miami Children’s Hospital. They’ve been featured in Forbes, Billboard, Rolling Stone, Fortune, and The Wall Street Journal.
To learn more about CEEK, visit ceek.com
Founders: Helen Adeosun & Dr. Madhuri (CMO)
CareAcademy teaches evidence-based online classes to help caregivers provide excellent care at home in an $84 billion industry. They are an affordable and engaging way for caregivers to learn as professionals, and they support family members so older adults can live independently.
To learn more about CareAcademy, visit: careacademy.com
Founders: Alicia Thomas & Jina Wye
Dibs is a SaaS plug-in that lets the $75B fitness industry implement dynamic pricing. Dibs empowers the industry to use price as a driver to increase occupancy, engagement, and ultimately profitability. It is the first to address inventory management and the problems that result from the one-price-fits-all approach traditionally taken in the health & wellness space.
Dibs’ algorithms price every single space according to real-time demand, allowing customers to get the best possible rate at any given time while maximizing revenues, and helping fitness facilities maintain the 1-1 relationship with their customers.
To learn more about Dibs, visit ondibs.com
Founders: Sara Chipps & Brooke Moreland
Jewelbots is changing the world by getting women into STEM. 12,000 girls age 5-16 have learned about coding and electronics with the Jewelbots Friendship Bracelet, a patent-pending bluetooth device which allows kids to communicate via secret messages and customize features through programming.
Unlike other gender-neutral coding platforms, the social and fashionable nature of Jewelbots truly engages girls with tech because they feel like it’s a device that was made for them. Reaching kids in this particular age group is important because it’s the first of a few moments in women’s lives where they typically lose interest in, and often drop out of, computer science. The thrilling products and mission of Jewelbots have been featured by Good Morning America, Wired, and CNBC.
In 2014, developer Sara Chipps launched Jewelbots with Co-founder Brooke Moreland to expose the next generation of women to the wonderful possibilities of technology. Sara was formerly the CTO of Flatiron School and co-founded Girl Develop It!, a national non-profit that has taught over 17,000 women how to build software. Brooke founded a style-focused, photo-sharing app, Fashism, which was backed by Ashton Kutcher and Project Runway’s Nina Garcia, and also served as the General Manager of Fashion GPS, the software platform that powers New York Fashion Week and events for the world’s top luxury brands including Chanel, Gucci, and Dior.
To learn more about Jewelbots, visit: jewelbots.com
Founders: Travis Stiles, PhD, Taylor Bright, PhD & Shawn Gahr, MPIA
Novoron Bioscience is a private biotech company developing novel approaches to treat disorders of the central nervous system. Unlike nerves in the body, nerves and surrounding tissue in the brain and spinal cord fail to repair themselves after damage. This results in permanent disabilities such as paralysis and loss of sensation. Their work has led to the discovery of new drugs that have demonstrated the ability to restore the healing capacity of the brain and spinal cord, with the potential to reverse the paralysis and disability caused by damage and disease.
Novoron is focused on reversing the damage in spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis. Their preclinical studies have shown a remarkable ability to restore healing that is otherwise lost in these conditions. With an innovative approach to repairing neural tissue, Novoron has secured four independent federal grants from the National Institute of Health (NIH), totaling just over $2 million in non-dilutive funding for their drug development programs.
Novoron is headquartered in San Diego, CA, in the JLABS incubator, a part of Johnson & Johnson Innovation.
To learn more abotu Bobout Novoron, visit: novoron.com
Founders: Kwaku Owusu & Melanie Igwe
With over 1200 recalls and over 750,000 medical device-related adverse events every year, managing medical device safety and surveillance can be complicated, time-consuming, and costly for hospitals and medical device manufacturers. Furthermore, hospitals tend to have more medical inventory than they need, costing them millions each year. Ilerasoft’s technology helps hospitals better manage the full scope of their clinical inventory from product safety to capital budgeting and utilization management. They work with medical device manufactures to reduce cost and create more cutting-edge products.
Co-founder and CEO, Kwaku Owusu, gained healthcare experience as a consultant for a large health system in New York where he discovered massive inefficiencies around medical equipment utilization. Realizing this was a systemic issue across all hospitals, he founded Ilerasoft to provide a solution. Prior to Ilerasoft, Kwaku was at Hewlett Packard Enterprise in global operations and finance roles. He holds an M.S. in Healthcare Administration and an MBA from the University of Rochester.
Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Melanie Igwe, has 5 years of experience working in hospitals in roles ranging from clinical engineering to project management. After witnessing unnecessary deaths and injuries due to medical devices, she was inspired to join forces with Kwaku to launch Ilerasoft. She earned a B.A. in Economics from Howard University.
To learn more about ILERASOFT, visit: ilerasoft.com
Founders: Katharine Polk & Carol Rosenstein
Designed by Malibu native Katharine Polk, Houghton is the rapidly growing, highly acclaimed designer Ready to Wear brand gaining loyalty with millennials worldwide. Houghton is disrupting the bridal gown industry with a whole new vision of what wedding wear can be: sexy, edgy and fashionable.
The name Houghton is a reference to Katharine Houghton Hepburn, Ms. Polk’s muse and inspiration. Her chic, sexy, timeless style is the brand’s touchstone.
Katharine was awarded the Caleres St. Louis Fashion Fund Emerging Designer Award in October of 2015 and was a finalist for the Fashion Group International’s 2015 and 2016 Rising Star award, has been named “One to Watch” (WWD), “The Next Big Thing” (Style.com), and has received generous accolades from all the major fashion press.
Houghton is now sold to top RTW boutiques, department stores and forward thinking bridal ateliers; a combined total of over 50 doors in 12 countries. Houghton is proudly made in America.
To learn more about Houghton, visit houghtonnyc.com
Founder: Brian Brackeen
Kairos is an artificial intelligence company specializing in facial recognition. They do 3 things extremely well: identity (recognize 1 person in 500M in ~1sec with 99.6% certainty), demographics (analyze age, gender, and ethnicity), and emotion detection (identify joy, anger, disgust, sadness, fear and surprise).
Kairos serves countless industries across a diverse global customer base, including offering advertisers actionable, real-time insights about audience reactions to campaigns, supporting retailers to create amazing new customer experiences informed by human analytics, and protecting financial service businesses from fraud and their customers from identity theft.
Founded in 2012 by Brian Brackeen (former ADP, IMB, and Apple), Kairos is based in Miami. The company’s Human Analytics platform enables businesses to integrate identity, emotion and demographic data, with only a few lines of code.
To learn more about Kairos, visit kairos.com
Founders: Brandon Deyo & Bradley Deyo
Often referred to as the “ESPN for Millennials”, Mars Reel is a fast-growing Mobile Sports Network designed for 13- to 24-year-old viewers that have shifted away from full-length sports programming on traditional cable networks to short highlight videos with cool music delivered to their mobile devices. Mars Reel caters to the unique viewing habits of the mobile generation and currently reaches 25 million millennials every month. The company was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Burbank, CA.
To learn more about Mars Reel, visit marsreel.co
Founder: Dolly Singh
Thesis Couture is setting a new standard of excellence in the $40 billion fashion footwear market. They believe in a future empowered by intelligence and inclusion. Merging California innovation with fine Italian craftsmanship to drive the industry’s most significant evolution in nearly a century.
Using new and innovative technology, Thesis Couture has patented an internal shoe architecture that makes a 4-inch stiletto feel and function more like a 3-inch wedge. By combining engineering with fashion expertise, they have made the impossible, possible: they created a new shoe that is driven by comfort and wearability, but maintains the signature sexiness of women’s most popular footwear.
In 2013, Dolly Singh, former Head of Talent at SpaceX, set out to re-engineer the stiletto, which hasn’t changed since its invention in 1950. She recruited a team of top talent like no other—a rocket scientist, an orthopedic surgeon, a mechanical engineer, a shoe designer, and an Italian shoemaker.
“We know that diversity is the essence of innovation. Our team of experts transitions seamlessly between the languages of art, fashion, design, engineering, and technology.” – Dolly Singh
To learn more about Thesis Couture, visit thesiscouture.com
Founders: Phil Martie, CEO, Michel Mikhael, Head of Medical Strategy, Seth Brickman, Head of Business Operations & Bryan Wilson, Head of Delivery
Nicolette is a patient empowerment company. They build visual, audio, and interactive displays of medical data and research to enable patients to understand their health quickly and with enough confidence to serve as their own healthcare advocate.
Nicolette’s entry point is the NICU, where new parents are in high-stakes, high-anxiety situations and typically do not have the capability of understanding their baby’s diagnosis, plan of care, and progress. This leaves them to defer completely to others and hope for the best. Nicolette’s dashboards translate raw EHR data so well that these same parents understand complex topics within minutes, then efficiently move through treatment options and ultimately a collaborative decision with their baby’s healthcare team.
Empowering patients in this way leads to better health outcomes, and leads to higher revenue, reduced risk, and increased productivity for healthcare providers.
To learn more about Nicolette, visit nicolette.com
Founder: Dr. Carol Espy-Wilson
OmniSpeech develops speech extraction software for enhancing voice quality in mobile communication devices and in VoIP (Voice over IP) and speech recognition platforms. Founded by world-renowned engineer Dr. Carol Espy-Wilson, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and head of the Speech Communication Lab at the University of Maryland, OmniSpeech takes a novel approach to the challenge of delivering clean speech in noisy environments.
Based on decades of research into speech acoustics, digital speech processing, speech production and perception, OmniSpeech’s innovative single channel software-only solution focuses on identifying the speech within noisy signals and isolating and extracting it, as opposed to other approaches which focus on identifying background noise and canceling it.
As a high-performing, software only solution, OmniClear offers mobile device manufacturers a compelling option for reducing bill-of-materials cost while maintaining or enhancing voice quality. OmniSpeech’s mission is to be the solution of choice to enhance speech-enabled technology in any device, app or platform.
To learn more about OmniSpeech, visit omni-speech.com
Founders: Sabine Seymour
SUPA turns apparel into a mobile IoT platform by distributing invisible sensors to brands like trims (“digital YKK”). The apparel is then SUPA Powered via the SUPA App using context libraries (“biometric LEGOs”) that include data from applicable IoT devices to create distributed functionality in sports and health applications. SUPA is building the largest sampling size of digital biometric data.
SUPA developed a pilot project with FILA SPORT in 2016 and has leveraged the results to launch a direct-to-consumer product in July, 2017, to introduce the integrated brand (“SUPA Powered”). SUPA Powered apparel has been tested by the likes of Red Bull, Vice, Jeremy Bloom, and Rumble Boxing.
CEO + Co-founder of SUPA, Sabine Seymour, PhD, Economics, is an award-winning serial entrepreneur, author of 3 books on the topic of fashion + technology, and created the first biometric base layer for snowboarding in 2000. Sean Montgomery, PhD, Neuroscience, Head of R&D + Co-founder, is the former Head of R&D at Ringly and holds patents in algorithms for biometric sensing.
SUPA has been featured in the New York Times, Forbes, and Wired. Exciting and notable collaborations with SUPA include an original film with Mercedes-Benz, solutions explorations with Nasa at their Space Center, inclusion in UNICEF’s catalogue for ‘Wearables for Good’, and even a check from Craig’s List Founder Craig Newmark.
To learn more about SUPA, visit http://www.supa.ai/
Founder: Stephanie Lampkin
Blendoor is inclusive recruiting and people analytics software that mitigates unconscious bias. Job candidates are sourced from hundreds of strategic partners and universities and are presented to recruiters without name, photo, or age.
Blendoor then integrates with a company’s HR systems to track candidates based on demographics to identify where and how bias happens. This transparency drives accountability within orgs, teams, and even individual hiring managers. In addition to measuring bias, they provide metrics that demonstrate the ROI of diversity & inclusion initiatives.
With data and AI, Blendoor aims to move the discussion from social good to business intelligence.
To learn more about Blendoor, blendoor.com
Founders: Kehlani, Alaxic & Reid
Flora is a new health and wellness startup founded by R&B recording artist Kehlani along with co-founders Alaxic Smith and Reid Williams. Flora recently launched their beta.
Learn more about Flora at floraliving.com
Founders: Ahmed Zedan & Melanie Elturk
Haute Hijab is an online modest fashion brand and community focused on providing new headscarf prints weekly for the Muslim woman. Their product range includes ready-to-wear skirts, dresses, and tops. All Haute Hijab-branded products are sourced with attention to quality, ethical standards, and modesty.
To learn more about Haute Hijab, visit hautehijab.com
Founders: Lisa Fetterman & Abe Fetterman
Sous Vide (pronounced “soo-veed”) means under vacuum in French. It’s the method of cooking vacuum-sealed food in a controlled water bath. The magic of sous vide is that you can simply immerse your ingredients, walk away, and meat and vegetables are perfectly prepared and flavorful.
Nomiku was the first company to patent a device that translates sous vide technology used by fine-dining establishments into the home. Five years in, Nomiku continues to innovate its mastery of precision cooking by adding WiFi and RFID technology to its cooking devices.
Nomiku recently launched its revolutionary no-prep meal delivery experience: Sous Chef Meals. Chef-prepared dishes are mailed to your door and stored in the freezer. When hunger strikes, just tap the food against your Nomiku device and drop it in the pot. You’ll get a notification on your phone when your delicious, perfectly-cooked meal is ready to eat.
Cooking chef-quality meals has never been easier. Nomiku is bringing compact immersion circulators into thousands of home kitchens around the globe.
To learn more about Nomiku, visit nomiku.com
Founders: Emma McIlroy & Julia Parsley
Founded by Nike breakaways Emma McIlroy and Julia Parsley, Wildfang seeks to build a home for badass women everywhere, while delivering menswear-inspired styling and irreverent content. Wildfang.com launched in March 2013, with 20k+ girls joining the family in just 30 days. Previously featured in The Guardian, New York Times, Vice, Cool Hunting, Refinery 29 and Vogue — the Wildfang family has, and continues to, grow fast. Wildfang operates a global e-commerce business at Wildfang.com, and physical stores in Portland, OR and New York City.
Learn more about Wildfang at www.wildfang.com
Founder: Rachel Cook
Seeds is the only software platform for improving spending through doing good by giving users the opportunity to buy, while simultaneously helping others. Developers can quickly install an SDK for their platform of choice (Unity, iOS, Android and Amazon Fire), and Seeds instantly compels increased spending and engagement.
CSR (Corporate social responsibility) is cool, but the future is improving the bottomline by building sustainable, for-profit good into products. Seeds is not a non-profit; they make money to sustain the platform and for developers, microlenders, and microborrowers in need. They believe in transcending the old zero-sum financial system, which dictates that in order for someone to win $1, another person has to lose. The best way to do that is by creating more value, and more money, for all involved.
Learn more about Seeds at https://www.playseeds.com
Founders: Lars Rasmussen & Elomida Visviki
Weav created Weav Run, a new app that matches a user’s rhythm with music so each running step a user takes lands exactly on beat. Weav Run’s unique motion-triggered algorithm syncs each song to your steps.
Running in sync with music releases endorphins that help to fight pain and improve performance. Weav uses a new groundbreaking music format that can change tempo between 100-240 bpm without sacrificing the quality of the music. Weav users can pair Weav Run with apps such as Nike+ Run Club, Strava, MapMyRun, Runkeeper, Endomondo, Runtastic or any other running tracker. Weav Run also has a Strava integrations for the ease of running.
Co-founder Lars Rasmussen was formerly a director of engineer at Facebook London where he led the Facebook Workplace team. Prior to Facebook, he was a member of Google’s technical staff, and is a co-founder of the Google Wave effort.
Learn more about Weav at www.weav.io
Founders: Margot Schmorak, Stephan Osmont, David Jacoby & Noah Neiman
Hostfully gives vacation rental companies a better way to manage and scale their business. The Hostfully platform synchronizes property and pricing data across Airbnb and VRBO, and connects with business apps like Stripe and Mailchimp to streamline business operations. Mobile guest apps automate and personalize the guest experience. The result? More revenue and 5-star reviews.
In recent news, Hostfully merged with Orbirental, another startup serving vacation rentals (read the full story). The merged company has processed 1.3M bookings leads, with 20,000 properties on the platform across 80 countries. Hostfully has served 100K travelers. 5 customers loved the service so much, they invested in the company.
Combined, Hostfully’s founders bring more than 60 years of experience from venture-backed startups and blue chip companies like Apple and Netscape. Co-founder + CEO, Margot Schmorak, while at Apple, launched the iPhone Developer Program in 2008, and also was Head of Marketing and Strategy for the $250M business unit at ServiceSource (NASDAQ: SREV). Hostfully’s company culture values parenting, spending time with family, pickup soccer, playing Settlers of Catan, traveling, art classes, surfing, and Crossfit.
Learn more about Hostfully at https://hostfully.com/
Founders: Maci Peterson & Stewart Voit
On Second Thought is a mobile communications company with patented delay/recall technology, that lets you undo text messages before they get to your recipient. Made available as a consumer app as well as an SDK for companies like wireless carriers, messaging apps, and mobile money transfer platforms, this magical feature is saving the world from the regret, stress, and embarrassment caused by hitting ‘send’ before fully thinking through the consequences.
Named “The Texting Savior” by AT&T and “The Drunk Texting Savior” by USA TODAY, On Second Thought won 1st Place in the #StartupOasis Pitch Competition at SXSW in 2014 and the inaugural Women Who Tech Startup Challenge in 2015. They’ve been featured by Forbes, NBC, The Washington Post, Inc Magazine, The Washington Business Journal, Tech Cocktail, NPR, Headline News, and many other media outlets.
Learn more about On Second Thought at onsecondthought.co
Founder: Andrea Barrica
O.school is a shame-free platform for pleasure education, powered by live streaming and live chat. Their mission is to build the safest place to learn and talk about sex online.
O.school leverages technology to help people overcome shame, heal from trauma, and develop skills to communicate and set boundaries in the pursuit of sexual pleasure. It’s a no-harassment zone for people — especially women and gender-diverse individuals — to learn about sex and pleasure online.
CEO + Founder Andrea Barrica has been a Venture Partner + Entrepreneur-in-Residence at 500 Startups, and co-founded financial tools service inDinero, where she led the team to their first $3M in annual recurring revenue and personally generated $1M in sales in under a year. Andrea studied linguistics and cognitive science at UC Berkeley, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, and Nanjing Normal University.
Learn more about O.School at https://www.o.school/
Founders: Tammy Sun, Dr. Asima Ahmad, Juli Insinger & Arun Venkatesan
Carrot partners with companies to expand fertility coverage for the millions of employees who need it regardless of age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or marital status. Through easy onboarding and at-a-glance reports to track usage over time, Carrot is the first-in-class corporate fertility solution.
Carrot helps employees learn about their own fertility health and get the best care from leading doctors with a full suite of offerings including fertility testing, egg and embryo freezing, donor eggs and sperm, in vitro fertilization, adoption, and much more.
Carrot’s founding team includes: Tammy Sun, who has held leadership roles at Evernote, The FCC, the Clinton Foundation, and The White House Office of the Vice President; and Asima Ahmad, MD, MPH, who earned combined medical + public health degrees from the Pritzker School of Medicine and the Harvard School of Public Health, completed an internship and residency in OB/GYN at the Yale School of Medicine and fellowship training in reproductive endocrinology + infertility at the University of California, San Francisco. In addition to raising funding from Backstage Capital, Carrot’s investors include Y Combinator, Precursor Ventures, and Sound Ventures.
Learn more about Carrot at get-carrot.com
Founder: Sky Kelley
Avisare is the centralized network for all businesses to discover new contract opportunities, post their own, and bid on all opportunities using one universal profile.
With 23M small businesses in the U.S. alone, and 60% of all jobs created by small businesses, the health of the economy depends on the ability of this segment to thrive. Avisare’s vision is to become the biggest, central online destination for business growth where businesses find the resources they need – from flexible staff to education on how to grow your business to finding new contracts.
Avisare is a Techstars LA company founded by Sky Kelley, previously Director of New Product Strategy in the digital video distribution group at Disney and ESPN Media Networks where she created and launched multi-platform products across the Disney, ABC, ABC Family and ESPN brands.
Learn more about Avisare at avisare.com