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We’ve also brought together six fantastic local business owners, leaders, and advocates to be our judges for InnoVentures 2020.
Meet the Judges
Our volunteer judges have seen InnoVentures contestants’ pitches evolve over the past few months. Each round of the competition, judges provide constructive, specific feedback to each entrepreneur so that their pitch becomes more compelling. Judges score in five areas: customer need and market demand, innovation, vision, feasibility, and presentation.
Roz Edison – Marination Mobile/Six Seven
Roz is the co-founder and COO of Marination. Roz is volunteering at Ventures to support a terrific organization that serves a real need in our community and economy. Often called the “Director of Many Things”, Roz makes sure that the operations of Marination run smoothly across all locations. The biggest challenges Roz has faced as a business owner has been keeping up with rapidly escalating costs of owning a business in Seattle. They have improved the internal operations of Marination and have looked for ways to grow the top line.
Matthew Hill – Laird Norton
Matthew Hill joined Laird Norton Company in 2015 and is currently Manager, Corporate Development. Matthew works on a variety of assignments including acquisitions, debt and equity financings, long-term strategic planning and portfolio monitoring. Prior to joining Laird Norton Company, Matthew was a Senior Associate in the Valuation Services Group at Grant Thornton, LLP. After assisting with a networking event at Ventures, Matthew was inspired by the determination and ingenuity of the entrepreneurs. It provided him with the opportunity to directly impact and assist local entrepreneurs with his business background.
Pedro Gómez – Seattle Office of Economic Development
Pedro Gomez is the Director of Small Business Development at the City of Seattle. He leads a team of small business experts responsible for supporting small businesses in Seattle. Previously, Pedro served as the Boards and Commissions Manager for the Mayor of Seattle. He is the founder of the Washington Latinx Voters Alliance, a nonprofit that seeks to unleash the electoral power of the Latinx community and is co-owner of Hola Seattle, the only tourist company that offers tours of the Seattle region in Spanish and Portuguese.
Yessy Aguilar – Celeste Bridal Boutique
Yesenia is the co-owner of Celeste Bridal Boutique. Her business is located in Lynnwood, Burien, and most recently Lakewood. She has graduated from BDT in 2009 and has completed her degree in financial management. She is also the founder of Quinceanera Dream Fashion Show. Celeste Bridal Boutique has also been the proud sponsor for the Latina Miss Washington and Miss Washington USA. Yesenia is very involved in the Latino Community supporting that supports women
Valentina Vitols – Seattle Women’s Impact Fund
Valentina is an angel investor and an attorney. A native of Venezuela, she is a member of Pipeline Angels, Next Wave Ventures, and Portfolia. Valentina is volunteering at InnoVentures to share what she has learned as an angel investor throughout the years. She enjoys supporting entrepreneurs and helping them access resources and networking opportunities. She worked as a political consultant in Caracas and ran as a candidate for the Latin American Parliament and the House of Representatives of the State of Miranda. Valentina delights in and is excited to be able to make a serious business out of something good as an angel investor focused on supporting female entrepreneurs in the social impact space.
Watch InnoVentures on March 26th and see if you can guess which entrepreneurs’ pitch gets the highest score from our judges. First place winner takes home $5,000 and all of our finalists walk away with cash prizes to help support their business!