West PDX Today

Washington County entrepreneurs vied for more than $7,000 in prize packages at the 2nd Annual Westside Pitch Startup Competition on March 9, 2023.

The six finalists, selected out of 34 applicants, pitched their early-stage products to judges representing the region’s most prominent venture capital investors. The top-two honors of the night went to Hillsboro-based businesses.

Meet the 2023 Winners

First Place: Fridie Outdoors

Fridie Outdoors empowers people to get camping by making the skills accessible offline. Fridie Outdoors is designed for people new to camping, or people with some experience who want to take their camping to the next level.

All videos and written camping tips are accessible offline. The app covers skills like campsite set up, cooking outdoors without the convenience of home, building and putting out a campfire, wildlife safety, gear repair, secrets to the perfect s’more, and more. 

Where did the idea come from?

Lestarya Molloy, the Founder and CEO, was at a local campground and noticed the family next to her struggling. The family was trying to look up how-to build a campfire on their phones, but there was no cell phone service. Lestarya went over to offer help and showed them how to get the campfire going. 

But this moment got her thinking, there must be a way to make camping tips available in the moments people need them most. That's how the idea for Fridie Outdoors was born. 

Where does the name Fridie Outdoors come from?

Fridie comes from Lestarya's African American roots. At a young age, Lestarya's parents passed away, and she moved in with family. It was then that she was introduced to hiking, and later camping. Lestarya knows first-hand the healing powers of nature, and wanted to honor past, present, and future generations' relationships to the great outdoors.

How can the Hillsboro community support Fridie Outdoors? 

“If you want to go camping, go for it! We're here to support and empower you, so you can feel joy, confidence, and freedom outdoors. For awesome camping know-how, download the Fridie Outdoors app. Let's get camping!” — Lestatya Molloy, Founder and CEO of Fridie Outdoors.

Second Place: Finnegan the Dragon

How did you learn the ABCs? You sang them first! Finnegan the Dragon is a music-based gaming and learning system that supports an unmet need of genuine learning from behind a screen. Dedicated to creating the most engaging, educational, and effective virtual learning tools for pre-k language and literacy development, this premier curriculum and mobile game is designed for children ages 2–6.

Where did the idea come from?

“Seven years ago, I suffered a traumatic brain injury and lost my language skills for the better part of a year. Frustrated and desperate, I turned to music, specifically song, to help approach my language reacquisition,” said Emily Cadiz, Co-Founder and CEO of Finnegan the Dragon. “My own experiences with song and language acquisition became the basis of research for Finnegan the Dragon.” 

This experience prompted several years of graduate and clinical research where Emily discovered that tone and language develop at the same rate in the pre-k brain. Tone, specifically singing, has been proven to rapidly engage language development through beat, meter, and rhyme in therapeutic and medical settings. Finnegan the Dragon couples sound-first instruction with 21st century technology — mobile devices — to provide a product that maximizes child receptive and expressive language and early literacy development.

What's next for Finnegan the Dragon? 

Just one year after the company’s inception, Finnegan the Dragon has already made tremendous progress toward the goal of providing the most engaging and effective virtual learning products for the pre-k population.

Now, they are preparing to build on the momentum with the release of their premier learning system in the 2023-24 school year. They completed the first beta test of the mobile gaming system and curriculum earlier this year — with 75% of users reporting they would purchase the learning system today. They are now actively raising $800,000 for early-stage funding, scalability, and growth.

Third Place: UpSight Security

Security that works for people. This cyber-security startup protects what matters: Your digital life. From social platforms to PC gaming accounts to photo libraries and anything else that lives in the cloud, UpSight Security protects you from would-be cyber-criminals.

“As a startup, we are seeking equity investment to really grow, but you can help us — by letting us help you," said Tracy Camp, CEO and Founder of UpSight Security. "Install UpSight Security today! It is free to use and protects against ‘token theft’ that is becoming the primary mechanism used by cyber-criminals to steal accounts.  If you are a Gamer (or have one in your life), use Gmail, use online banking, do your taxes online, etc. you can rest a little bit easier.”

Hillsboro Supports Entrepreneurs

Laura Kubisiak, the founder and host of the annual Westside Pitch Startup Competition, is also Hillsboro’s Venture Catalyst — a dedicated position providing resources for budding entrepreneurs.

Hillsboro’s Venture Catalyst program is free for Hillsboro residents and supports the startup business community through coaching and mentoring, as well as connecting entrepreneurs to additional people, programs, and capital to help fuel their success. 

Original source can be found here.