DesignMedix and Sweet Spot Skirts Win at Keiretsu Forum & CREDC Celebration of Entrepreneurship Event
VANCOUVER, WA--(Marketwired - Aug 22, 2013) - Over 100 of Southwest Washington and Portland's most active and respected angel investors attended the Celebration of Entrepreneurship and Startup Showcase event, which was hosted by Keiretsu Forum Northwest and the Columbia River Economic Development Council (CREDC) at the Sego Herb Farm in La Center on August 17th. The evening event showcased 10 startups in industries ranging from biotechnology to agribusiness. Attendees were each given $3 million in play money to participate in the "Most Valued Company" competition, which capped off the evening. After the 10th and final company pitch, attendees voted and Keiretsu Forum Northwest President Nathan McDonald awarded DesignMedix the "Most Valued Company" award, with "Sweet Spot Skirts" as the Runner-Up.
DesignMedix, based in Portland, Oregon, develops drugs to overcome drug resistance in multiple diseases that kill millions of people each year. All anti-infective and most cancer drugs develop resistance over time, causing the drugs to become ineffective. Drug resistance is one of the top three threats to human health. With an Initial focus on malaria, DesignMedix has demonstrated the validity of our technology approach and have a drug nearly ready for clinical trials in humans. This is an oral, safe, low cost malaria cure, which overcomes drug resistance in patient samples showing very high malaria drug resistance. The platform technology approach has also been extended to other diseases and recent results show success in reversing resistance of multiple cancer drugs. For more information about DesignMedix, visit their website at www.designmedix.com.
"Prior to the event, we presented to Keiretsu Forum Northwest region. The Keiretsu Forum network is exceptionally efficient and reflects the power of angel investing," said Lynn Stevenson, Ph. D., and CEO of DesignMedix, who won the event as "Most Valued Company." "We are honored to be distinguished among such a high caliber group of companies and qualified investors."
Sweet Spot Skirts, based in Vancouver, Washington, provides flirty and practical clothing designed to flatter all figures. Originally designed with biking in mind, the versatility of Sweet Spot Skirts has propelled the company into numerous other sports and activities, including a running and fashion line. Many women lead busy lifestyles jumping from athletic activities to errands, work, dinner, etc. and feel uncomfortable running around in tight exercise clothing. These products aim to encourage women to feel more comfortable in their day-to-day life. The headquarters are not only a manufacturing site, but also serve as a downtown retail front that provides customers the opportunity to design their own custom skirts for a wall of fabric. Sweet Spot Skirts are committed to being made in the USA. For more information about Sweet Spot Skirts, visit their website at www.sweetspotskirts.com.
"Keiretsu Forum members are actively investing," McDonald said. "Angel investors at Keiretsu Forum are receiving access to the best deal flow as evidenced by the top quality companies that participated in the Startup Showcase. We partner with local business organizations such as CREDC to increase the diversity and the quality of companies before they are presented to Keiretsu members."
About Keiretsu Forum
Keiretsu Forum was founded in 2000 by Randy Williams in the San Francisco Bay Area. Keiretsu Forum has grown to become the World's largest angel investor network with 27 chapters on three continents and 1,100 accredited investor members. Keiretsu Forum members provide early stage capital in the range of $250k-2 million in high quality, diverse investment opportunities and collaborate in the due-diligence, but make their own individual investment decisions. Through the collaborative Keiretsu Forum chapter network, entrepreneurs have numerous opportunities to raise capital and receive resources as their companies grow.
Keiretsu Forum Chapters: Barcelona, Beijing, Boise, East Bay, Istanbul, Kirkland-Eastside, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, New York, North Bay, Orange County, Paris, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Shanghai, Silicon Valley, Spokane-Inland, Tel Aviv, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington D.C., and Westlake Village.
For more information, visit www.keiretsuforum.com.
About Columbia River Economic Development Council (CREDC)
CREDC is a private-public partnership of 135 investors working together to advance the economic vitality of Clark County through business growth and innovation. CREDC promotes job quality and capital investment while maintaining the Southwest Washington's exceptional environment and high quality of life. CREDC drives economic growth by leveraging its assets and focusing on five initiatives from the Clark County Economic Development Strategic Plan: Business Growth, Recruitment and International Investment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Education, and Infrastructure and Land Development. Since 1982, the CREDC has created 28,800 jobs, representing an annual payroll of $1.2 billion year-over-year for Southwest Washington.
For more information, visit www.credc.org
