Last year’s big winners at IMPACT Pitch were The Riveter, LLC and Olykraut, who each won $10,000 to help grow their businesses.
The Riveter, LLC won the Start-up Business Award. Run by two women, their awesome idea was to offer co-working spaces designed for women, contributing to their empowerment and supporting them in their ventures.
Featuring space for everyday work, special events and even business and fitness classes The Riveter offers a unique approach to shared space for the modern entrepreneur.
Since last year’s competition, The Riveter’s growth has been unstoppable! After opening their first location in Seattle’s Capitol Hill, they are now getting ready to open the doors on a second location in Fremont on September 11th and another planned in Bellevue next year. Since winning our competition, The Riveter has been an in-kind sponsor offering use of their beautiful space for Business Impact NW annual events like the Washington Women’s Business Center Celebrating Dreams, Celebrating Success and this year’s IMPACT Pitch live competition.
Olykraut took home the Established Business Award. Olykraut has been centered on selling gourmet hand-crafted sauerkrauts, pickles, and brines in Olympia, WA since 2008. 
Founder Sash Sunday believes in growing a healthy regional food system as well as thriving, healthy bodies. She has spent the last decade working directly with farmers, learning about sustainability and agriculture, and wondering how to restructure the economy so it could support a better future. To do this, Olykraut uses locally-sourced, organic ingredients that allow them to build connections with local farmers as well as make products that are full of probiotics to help heal our gut, build immune systems and even improve our mental well being.
Winning IMPACT Pitch allowed Olykraut to start working on a plan that would carry them through a major growth phase- a phase we’re happy to report is going well! You can find Olykraut in stores like Whole Foods, PCC, and more throughout the Northwest. Olykraut has continued to put their pitch skills to good use, winning grants including the University of Washington’s Jones + Foster Accelerator, Edg3 Fund, and Eileen Fisher Grant Award.
This year’s IMPACT Pitch LIVE Competition & Showcase “Shark Tank”-style event will be on September 29th and tickets are available now. An evening dedicated to celebrating diverse entrepreneurs and small business owners in the Pacific Northwest, the evening will showcase 2017’s top 8 finalists. Winners will include the best startup business, best existing business, and best veteran-, woman-, and minority-owned businesses. We look forward to IMPACT Pitch every year and you can see why business owners do too. To see video highlights from 2016, click here. For this year’s competitors, tickets and more information click here.