An unlikely duo of an ocean data tech startup and a child care center focused on birth through age 3 won top honors — and a share of $10,000 in prize money— in a competition for entrepreneurs in Northwest Washington state.
The afternoon-long event on Saturday, Nov. 2 at Whatcom Community College was hosted by Bellingham Angel Investors, a local investment group with members in Whatcom and Skagit counties. Its objective: Stimulate the local entrepreneurial community while raising its visibility.
The two winners chosen by the judges, along with a third that tied in a close vote for “audience favorite,” were among a dozen finalists that pitched on stage. BAI said it had selected the presenters from 45 entrants that were required to have a founder in Whatcom or Skagit counties.
Each startup team had 12 minutes to pitch its business idea and field questions from the four-judge panel, as well as see how a live audience of about 50 people in the Syre Student Center Auditorium responded.
On-demand ocean intelligence
Taking the $6,000 first-place prize: Astraeus Ocean Systems, a Bellingham-based ocean data startup that plans to field a fleet of autonomous surface vessels (ASVs) to gather and analyze information on environmental conditions whenever clients need it. Founder and CEO Alex Parker said current ocean observing systems can’t keep up with changes and demand, and urged judges to think of the concept as “Uber for ocean intelligence.”
Parker, himself a WCC graduate who went on to earn a Ph.D., said the prize money will help Astraeus outfit one of its vessels with an instrument to conduct searches for derelict fishing gear in Puget Sound. He anticipates trials on Puget Sound this year and hopes to start paid pilots by early next year.
Second place and a $3,000 prize went to Tiny Steps, Big Leaps, a planned Bellingham child care center focused on developmentally appropriate learning for infants and toddlers, from birth to age 3. The center’s Sheryl Clinton said the early age range will set it apart from many other facilities.
She hopes the center will open in March 2025. Clinton said it will be licensed for 52 children with an opportunity to add 14 more in infant, toddler and preschool rooms plus have outdoor play spaces and an interactive garden. And the business’ marketing plan?
“Due to the shortage, honestly, we don’t need to market child care in Whatcom County,” she said.
Shared prize for audience favorite
The final prize — a $1,000 audience favorite award — was split between Astraeus and Geo Garden Club, an app to help “serious gardeners” understand what plants to grow and when to grow them with a crowdsourced, hyperlocal database focused on food.
Founder Jenna Deane, whose day job is with Bellingham’s Sustainable Connections, described the startup’s purpose as “improving community food resilience, one garden at a time.” Deane said the app is in beta, with first public release in 2026.
All of the dozen finalists were based in Whatcom County, with only one (Lynden software company Synapse Software) located outside of Bellingham. Other pitches included advanced poker tables for casinos (Automated Poker Tables), AI-based matching of home improvement contractors and customers (BiddyBot), a mental health and wellness app for youth (Catch-Me) and a motion tracking app for online personalities who use animated avatars (SelfReflect).
Organizers and judges said the Startup Pitch Competition is just one element in a resurgent regional startup ecosystem that features networking events hosted by Innovate Bellingham and a 54-hour startup creation challenge, Bellingham Startup Weekend, planned for January 2025.
Matt Roth, a member of Bellingham Angel Investors, anticipates this won’t be the only pitch contest, either.
“We hope we start something that begins a tradition of every year having a competition,” he said, “and really just making connections between creative entrepreneurs of all sizes and ages with an investor group that will help support them and get their businesses growing.”
Frank Catalano writes about business and related topics for CDN; reach him at frankcatalano@cascadiadaily.com.
