This year’s 36|86 event included at least sixteen startups with women founders or women who otherwise serve in executive positions. Additionally, four of the five finalists operated women led startups!
36|86
ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE
36|86 promotes entrepreneurship in the SouthEast United States. This event enables entrepreneurs to network with investors and leaders within the business world. There are also plenty of opportunities for entrepreneurs such as workshops, coffee breaks and after-hours parties to network in your preferred setting. The line-up of speakers includes leaders from Fortune 500 companies, global tech titans and high-growth startups. Speakers included Steve Case, Walmart CTO Jeremy King, Sen. Bill Frist, MD and FedEx CEO Fred Smith.
Natasia Malaihotto, CEO & Chief Hacker of Wyzerr
One trend that continues to flourish: Women in Business.
In 2015, approximately seven companies were represented at 36|86 by ten women serving in executive positions. The 2016 event was won by Shelley Prevost of Torch who represented one of ten companies with women founders or who otherwise serve in executive positions. This year’s Startup Pitch Competition and the $50,000 award went to Natasia Malaihotto, CEO & Chief Hacker of Wyzerr, a survey focused startup. The 2017 36|86 event included at least sixteen startups with women founders or women who otherwise serve in executive positions.
Additionally, four of the five finalists operated women led startups!
These included, in addition to Ms. Malaihotto, Traci Snowden, CEO & Founder of Apto, Titania Jordan, Chief Parent Officer of Bark and Sanja Zepan, Co-Founder & CMO of Homey. The only male representation on the stage was Jason Denenberg Founder & CEO of hometown favorite, NourishWise. Well done ladies!
Following is a summary of women participants:
Rebecca Antonino, Founder, PermitZone
Rebecca received a Bachelor of Fine ARTs from East Carolina University and holds a Property Management License from the SC Real Estate Commission. She served as Owner / Operations Manager for Titus Titan Corporation, a construction company for six years and is currently working to develop and grow PermitZone.
PermitZone of Myrtle Beach, SC provides contractors and do-it-yourselfers visibility into municipal permitting requirements and access to online construction permits for over 19k building departments, nationwide.
Sarah Bellos, President, Stony Creek Colors
Sarah attended Cornell University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources Management and Policy. She is the 2015 Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the Association of Textile, Apparel & Materials Professionals, a 2016 recipient of Martha Stewarts’ American Made and the President of Stoney Creek Colors.
Stoney Creek Colors provides clean, safe bio-based dyes for brands and consumers. The Nashville, TN based company sources it’s dyes from a trusted, scalable Tennessee grown supply chain.
Mehreen Butt, Co-Founder, Brydge4Schools
Mehreen is a 2013 graduate of the University of Rochester and holds Bachelor Degrees in Biology and German. She has held a variety of positions in education and currently serves as an AP Computer Science Teacher at RePublic Schools. She is a recipient of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center’s Nashville Female Founder Scholarship and is passionate about Brydge4Schools and its’ potential to bridge the gap between parents and teachers.
A web and mobile platform, Brydge4Schools, which is currently available in Beta, improves connections between parents and teachers through daily questions and activities designed to reinforce the material their student learn in class. The company is based in Jackson, MS.
Cacky Calderon, President & COO, Collider
Cacky holds a BS in Economics and Marketing from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School and an MBA and JD from Northwestern University. Her work history includes stints in Product Management at Boeing, Amazon and Trip Advisor. She is the President & COO of Collider.
Collider’s Orchid, produces production quality parts utilizing traditional manufacturing materials in a proprietary, automated, process which eliminates costly tools and machinery for lower volume parts. The company is based in Chattanooga, TN.
Michelle Harper, CEO & Founder, Savii
Michelle received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from Emory and Henry College and a Master of Arts in History from East Tennessee State University. She has served in various positions in medical related software companies including eCast and Home Care Software Solutions. Her current focus and passion is Savii where she serves as CEO & Founder.
Savii is a women-owned, Raleigh, NC-based tech startup that supports in-home care companies with mobile-first platforms. The company empowers effective collaboration between caregivers, patients, family members, and the agency.
Want to learn about other women led startups? Check out our Women Entrepreneur’s Spotlight.
Jamie Higdon, Chief Operating Officer, RocketHealth
Jamie attended Asbury and American Universities. She holds a MA in Public Communication for American University where she also serves as an Adjunct Professor. She was previously the Deputy Chief, Strategic Communications of the US Department of Homeland Security and is the Owner of Cairn Strategic Communication. She currently serves as Chief Operating Officer at RocketHealth.
Rocket Health is a clinician created health Technology Company that addresses chronic diseases. The Lexington, KY based startup’s SaaS leverages real-time biometrics to automate pharmacy benefits and empowers clinicians to provide more meaningful interventions.
Courtney Jones, Founder, MomSource Network
Courtney attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. She started her career in business development with US Cellular and was named a member of the Knoxville Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 in 2013. An active writer on women’s advocacy issues and career development for females, she appears regularly on Medium.
Knoxville, TN’s MomSource Network connects women to professional development, networking and flexible employment opportunities.
Titania Jordan, CPO, Bark
Titania Jordan, Chief Parent Officer, Bark
Tatiana attended the University of Georgia and American InterContinental University where she earned her BBA in Marketing. She has previously served as the CMO for KidsKink, HireWire, as the Host of Atlanta Tech Edge and Executive Director of the Girl’s Academy. She is currently the CPO of Bark.
Bark of Savannah, GA utilizes machine learning algorithms to detect and alert parents of potential issues such as cyberbullying, sexting, and suicidal thoughts based on the interactions on their children’s social media, text messaging, and email accounts.
Bark was one of the finalists of the 2017 36|86 Pitch Contest.
Maggie Louie, Founder and CEO, Dev/Con Detect
Maggie received her formal education from Pensacola State College. She has served in various positions for multiple media companies including the LA Times, The E.W. Scripps Company, the Santa Monica Daily Press, the Athens Banner-Herald and Spoon West Magazine, where she developed a strong background in digital product development. She was awarded a Silver Addy for Magazine Design from the American Advertising Federation and is the Founder and CEO of Dev/Con Detect.
Dev/Con Detect, of Tampa, FL, is a startup which provides adtech cyber security software that eliminates advertising fraud.
Interested in Learning About Accelerator Options? Check Out the Global Accelerator Register.
Samantha Loyet, Director of Operations, Solar Site Design
Samantha holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations from Illinois State University. She has held various sales and communications roles with companies ranging from Engineered Fluids to the Farnsworth Group, S.M. Wilson & Co. and Clean Power Design. She currently serves as Director of Operations for Solar Site Design.
Nashville, TN’s Solar Site Design is a collaborative, cloud-based marketplace platform. The startup connects sales-ready solar projects to leading solar companies in an effort to drive down customer acquisition costs.
Natasia Malaihollo, CEO & Chief Hacker, Wyzerr
Natashia holds a Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies from UC Berkeley. A serial entrepreneur she is the previous CEO & Founderof Sooligan, where she led innovation and development. She is multilingual speaking Dutch, English, Indonesian and Spanish and a previous cohort member of The Brandery Accelerator out of Cincinnati.
Wyzerr turns employee, customer, and consumer feedback data into operational tasks through artificial intelligence. The company is headquartered in Covington, KY.
Wyzer was the winner of the 2017 36|86 Pitch Contest.
Channing Moreland, CEO & Co-Founder, EVAmore
Channing attended Belmont University studying Songwriting, Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations. She worked as a Researcher for the Pipeline Project, a music industry think tank program at Belmont and was the CEO & Co-Founder at What’s Hubbin from May of 2013 through December of 2014. She was a 2015 Project Music Cohort member and currently serves as CEO & Co-Founder of EVAmore.
EVAmore is a Nashville, TN startup that is an online platform that automates booking live entertainment for private events.
Traci Snowden, CEO / Founder, Apto Global
Traci Snowden, CEO / Founder, Apto Global
A holder of multiple Bachelor Degrees from Miami University, Traci is a serial entrepreneur having founded multiple startups. Proficient in both English and German, Traci possesses a strong and varied communications background. She is utilizing her multilingual skillset to support the development of her latest startup, Apto.
Apto, of Nashville, TN, helps foreign expats and their families successfully transition in the US by providing an on-demand, regional, culture and language community, which simulates real-life scenarios.
Apto was one of the finalists of the 2017 36|86 Pitch Contest.
Louise Wasilewski, CEO & Co-Founder, Acivilate
Louise obtained a Bachelor Degree in Engineering from the University of Southampton with honors in 1991 and holds an Executive MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. She has held positions in the corporate world with SES ASTRA, CISCO, BearingPoint, N2 Broadband, Capgemini and Cox Communications. Named to CableFax Magazine’s Top 50 Women in Technology in 2006, she holds numerous patents. The CEO & Co-Founder of Acivilate, she is also a Co-Owner of Salty Dog Digital.
Acivilate works to improve productivity in the courts and jails and to help leverage community resources to assist ex-offenders in demonstrating they are on the right track. A for-profit SaaS social enterprise, Acivilate is headquartered in Atlanta, GA.
Diane Weiner, Co-Founder, Surgiorithm
Diane received her Bachelor of Science from Indiana University where she studied Management, Human Resources & Labor Relations. She is a serial entrepreneur having previously served as a co-founder of Benefit Concepts, Inc. and Healarium. She currently serves as a Co-Founder of Surgiorithm.
Surgiorithm offers a proprietary predictive algorithm that helps ophthalmology practices identify candidates for premium cataract surgery. The Nashville, TN startup endeavors to help increase patient satisfaction and practice revenue.
Sanja Zepan, Co-Founder & CMO, Homey
Sanja Zepan, Co-Founder & CMO, Homey
Sanja did both undergraduate and graduate studies in communications and media at the University of Ljubljana. She has a background in digital media having worked with Edynco and Internet.si d.o.o. Sanja is multilingual with language skills in Croatian, English, French, Portuguese and Slovenian.
She is a Co-Founder and the CMO of Homey: a mobile app teaches children financial literacy and the value of work through chores. A key feature enables parents to transfer money directly to their child’s bank account. Memphis, TN is the home of Homey.
Homey was one of the finalists of the 2017 36|86 Pitch Contest.
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