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In the February issue, we profile MergeLane, a new Boulder-based accelerator that focuses on helping female-led startups navigate early business hurdles. (The program isn’t some type of affirmative action; rather, co-founders Sue Heilbronner and Elizabeth Kraus point to academic research that suggests gender-balanced businesses perform better.)
We weren’t able to include the companies who will participate in MergeLane’s inaugural 12-week program (which starts today) in the magazine story because they had yet to be revealed. That changed last week.
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These eight companies beat out hundreds of applicants and will each receive $20,000 of seed capital and guidance from more than 100 mentors and advisors (MergeLane, in turn, gets 6 percent equity in each startup). Will any of the companies—four of which are based in Colorado—be the next Airbnb or SendGrid? Take a look—and leave us your thoughts below:
Havenly
Co-founders: Lee Mayer, Emily Motayed, and Jessie Dixon
Headquarters: Denver and New York
What it does: Connects interior designers and consumers
Idaciti
Co-founders: Emily Huang and Christine Tan
Headquarters: Las Vegas
What it does: Financial-data platform for users to create “stories” about companies and trends
Intelligent Eyes
Co-founders: Debbie Taylor and Mark Leffers
Headquarters: Berkeley, California, and Boulder
What it does: A software platform that allows businesses to collect and display info from different systems in one place
Mapistry
Co-founders: Allie Janoch and Ryan Janoch
Headquarters: Oakland
What it does: Software that simplifies mapmaking
Sugarwish
Co-founders: Elisabeth Vezzani and Leslie Lyon
Headquarters: Denver
What it does: Gift buyers purchase a candy box and recipients get to pick what goes it in
TomboyX
Co-founders: Fran Dunaway and Naomi Gonzalez
Headquarters: Seattle
What it does: Makes and sells menswear-inspired clothing and accessories for women
The QuickZip Sheet Company
Co-founders: Elizabeth Sopher and Caroline Portis
Headquarters: Denver
What it does: Sells easy-change, zip-on fitted sheets for cribs, bunk beds, beds of the elderly, and more
ZaZa
Founder: Elisabeth Saucier
Headquarters: Boulder
What it does: Makes nut-based treats that are gluten-free, soy-free, paleo, vegan, and non-GMO certified
(For more on MergeLane, check out the February issue of 5280)