Established® Announces SoLo Funds Wins Startup of the Year at the 8th Annual Startup of the Year Summit
Chosen from 100 Early-Stage Startups to Pitch Live to Investors and Brand Leaders, SoLo Funds wins the 2020 Startup of the Year Championship. Jeenie wins US Veteran Startup of the Year.
“This year was like no other due to the pandemic, social movements, and the election, but it’s the entrepreneurs like the ones we saw this week that give us all hope in the future.” added Frank Gruber, Co-CEO, Established and Managing Partner, Established Ventures.”
After a year-long, worldwide search for diverse early-stage startups, Established (the company behind Startup of the Year Summit) announced that SoLo Funds was named the Startup of the Year Champion at the first online Startup of the Year Summit on November 18. Additionally, Jeenie was named the .US Veteran Startup of the Year winning $10,000 non-dilutive cash prize.
The Los Angeles, CA startup was represented by co-founder Travis Holoway. SoLo Funds is a mobile lending exchange that allows people seeking small-dollar loans to borrow from other individuals with financial means. It connects lenders and borrowers for the purpose of providing instant affordable access to small-dollar loans. To learn more go to solofunds.com.
“I want to sincerely thank the Established / Startup of the Year team for the opportunity to be acknowledged amongst such an esteemed group of our startup peers,” Travis shared. “The companies featured in this year’s Top 100 were all phenomenal and we at Team SoLo are incredibly honored to be selected as 2020’s winner!”
Established Co-CEO and Managing Partner, Established Ventures Jen Consalvo stated, “This award and potential investment from Established Ventures honors the SoLo Fund team’s unstoppable vision and relentless pursuit to transform the financial industry and help millions of underserved people.”
Jeenie, based in Washington, DC, was co-founded by Kirsten Brecht Baker and her father, Richard Brecht. Jeenie is a mobile platform that connects you via video and audio calls with a live, HIPAA-trained, medical interpreter, from a mobile device or computer, for on-demand, in-person patient communication and Telehealth consultations. To find out more go to jeenie.com.
“We are very grateful to .US and Established for honoring Jeenie with the .US Veteran Startup of the Year Award. This has been an exciting year for Jeenie, winning the Startup of the Year pitch at South by Southwest and finishing the year with this iconic award from .US.” said Kirsten.
SoLo Funds and Jeenie were recognized as winners during the Startup of the Year Top 5 Finals Competition and Ceremony online on November 18, where each Finalist gave a three minute pitch with six minutes of Q&A from the All-Star Panel of Judges. The other top 5 finalist competitors included Finmark, GLASS, and Hoy Health. Overseeing the proceedings were some of the most respected names in the industry, including: Mary Grove (Bread & Butter Ventures), Karen Kerr (Exposition Ventures), Anna Mason (Rise of the Rest Fund), Dan Mindus (NextGen Venture Partners) and Lo Toney (Plexo Capital).
“This year was like no other due to the pandemic, social movements, and the election, but it’s the entrepreneurs like the ones we saw this week that give us all hope in the future,” added Frank Gruber, Co-CEO, Established and Managing Partner, Established Ventures
11/24/20