Highlights from Westside Pitch 2025: Innovation on Display in Washington County
Westside Pitch 2025 brought together the brightest entrepreneurial minds in Washington County for an evening filled with breakthrough ideas, community support, and fresh perspectives on the future of business. Hosted by TiE Oregon, this signature event offered a platform for early-stage companies to pitch for investment and cash prizes in front of a panel of investors, advisors, local government officials and a live audience.
With $30,500 in prizes awarded, the energy in the room reflected the creativity, clarity, and courage of the founders who took the stage.
🏆 Best Overall – Sez Us
Founder: Akshay Gupta
A pro-democracy social media platform built around a reputation engine, Sez Us prioritizes respectful communication, user-owned data, and a bot-free experience—offering a new, transparent economic model for creators and advertisers.
🥈 First Runner-Up – Lac to Love
Founder: Ellen Classen
Lac to Love delivers AI-powered breastfeeding support through a virtual lactation coach, seamlessly integrating licensed consultants and physicians to give new mothers the care they deserve—anytime, anywhere.
🗳 Audience Choice – BLKBOOK
Founder: Chelsey Moter
An AI-optimized speed networking platform, BLKBOOK makes business outreach more effective by matching professionals in real-time 1:1 video chats—unlocking hidden career and sales opportunities through smarter conversations.
🌟 Other Finalists
SurgiVance - Founder: Daniel Gareau
Specializing in augmented reality for surgical navigation, SurgiVance enhances complex procedures by giving surgeons real-time, high-resolution visuals of internal anatomy—improving precision and patient outcomes.
Tortis Sportswear - Founder: Kelsey Myers
Tortis creates data-driven athletic apparel for women, solving long-standing fit and function issues in endurance sports with a focus on performance, comfort, and representation for female athletes.
🧠 Meet the Judges
Our panel of judges brought a diverse range of expertise—from finance to product scaling to investment strategy:
Holly Lujan – Financial strategist and analytics leader, Holly guides organizations through scenario planning and data-driven growth.
Doug Gastich – Trusted advisor to tech startups, Doug helps businesses simplify, automate, and implement strategies that scale.
David Smith – A seasoned investor and operator, David supports startups with full-spectrum problem solving, from diagnostics to product and manufacturing scale-up.
Cori Omundson (Emcee) – Our Westside Pitch 2024 winner, and co-founder of Rising Wines Collective.
🏛️ Distinguished Guests
Westside Pitch was honored to welcome local leaders who continue to champion innovation and economic development in the region:
Mayor Beach Pace – City of Hillsboro
Commissioner Jerry Willey – Washington County
Bill Berg – City of Beaverton
Ken Christian – City of Hillsboro
Their presence underscored the strong public-private partnerships that make events like Westside Pitch possible—and valuable for entrepreneurs looking to build in Washington County.
👏 sponsors
This event was successful in part of our sponsorships:
