Winners announced for 13 categories, including Startup and Founder of the Year; Startup Boston moves Startup Boston Week fully virtual

BOSTON, MA, USA, September 15, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Startup Boston, an organization offering events for the development and celebration of the entrepreneurs, startup employees, investors, and mentors who push boundaries and solve tough problems, today announced the winners of its Community Awards. Voted on by the Startup Boston community, the awards recognize winners across 13 different categories, including Startup, Founder, and Investor of the Year.

“Our award-winners truly represent the best and brightest of Greater Boston as determined by the professionals who live and work here,” said Stephanie Roulic, Founder & CEO of Startup Boston. “We wanted to create a process that allows everyone to have a say in who is standing out in the region. The winners and nominees are companies and contributors that are doing visibly great work, supporting their communities, innovating, giving back, and acting as a driving force for social good.”

Startup Boston’s Community Awards are a first-of-its-kind effort from Startup Boston. Award nominees are selected by the broader public and narrowed down by a panel of judges that represents the founder & investor community, journalists, and academia. The winner is selected in an open vote among the local startup community and will be recognized during Startup Boston Week, a free conference that will bring people together for more than 200 speakers and 70 virtual sessions from September 20-24th.

The following companies and people were recognized with Startup Boston’s Community Awards:

Startup of the Year -- Shoobx
Founder of the Year -- Jason Furtado
Investor of the Year -- Mendoza Ventures
Best Student-Founded Startup -- Carlo
Best Accelerator or Incubator- Eforall Roxbury
Best Coworking Space - CIC
Community Builder of the Year - Founders Live Boston
Equity Champion- TechTogether
Innovative Business Model- BetrSpt
Best Work from Home Culture- reggora
Veteran

Nominees are named in an open process and the top three are selected by a panel of qualified judges. This year’s judges include entrepreneur & investor David Chang; Boston Business Journal Technology Reporter Lucia Maffei; and Framingham State University’s Director of Entrepreneur and Innovation Center Mark Hardie.

The organization also announced today that it will shift its two in-person events during Startup Boston Week—the Job Fair and Student Expo—to virtual formats and announced a new group of speakers.

Now in its fifth year, Startup Boston Week brings the startup ecosystem together, offering a range of options to connect. The free conference will be held from September 20–24 and will include more than 200 speakers at 70 virtual sessions.

Startup Boston Week Job Fair and Student Expo Move to Remote Formats

During Startup Boston Week, participating companies will have their hiring managers record a short video pitch on why someone should work for their company. These videos will run during the event and then be presented during the Job Fair for attendees, who will be provided links to the participating companies’ job boards.

The event, which will be held from 5-7 pm on September 22, will also provide an opportunity for attendees to schedule a 10-minute “informational” session with the startups that are hiring. Five hundred people registered for last year’s job fair, which showcased 23 companies.
Some of the best startup ideas have been launched at local Boston colleges and universities and the student audience remains a focus during Startup Boston Week. In addition to events that are tailored to students during the week, Startup Boston Week will feature a Student Expo on September 20 from 4:30-5:30 pm.

Student founders will submit a short video pitch of their startup to the Startup Boston community for feedback, which will then be shared with the student founders. These student founder videos will also be showcased on Startup Boston’s social media channels and be featured on the Startup Boston website.

Speakers Added to the Startup Boston Week Program

This year’s Startup Boston will have 12 content tracks that cater to all players in the startup ecosystem—from founders and investors to sales, marketing, and people ops professionals. All events are free, allowing attendees to mix and match to customize their learning and networking experiences. In addition, this year’s Startup Boston Week will unveil its first awards program for the companies and people in the startup community that managed through the crisis most effectively and supported others in the community.

New additions to the Startup Boston Week agenda include:

Katie Diasti, Founder and CEO, Viv
Jen Paxton, VP, People, Smile
Mai Ton, Chief People Officer, Kickstarter
Emily Levada, Chief Product Officer, Embark Veterinary
Yemisi Olorunwunmi, COO, Everyspace
Jason Furtado, Co-Founder and CEO, Shoobox, Inc.
Melissa Whitehead, CTO, Kensho Technologies
Derek Canton, CEO & Founder, Paerpay
Gabriela McManus, Senior VP, People Operations, Drizly
Zoe Barry, CEO, Zingeroo
Omari Jahi Aarons, Managing Partner, Aarons Group LLC
Winston Tuggle, Director, HR Business Partnerships, HubSpot
Kate Brigham, VP of Product, Notarize
Jody Robie, Snr VP North America and Shareholder, Talent Works
Ryanne Harms, VP, People Operations, Piaggio Fast Forward
Firas Raouf, General Partner, Companyon Ventures

“Startup Boston Week brings together founders, investors, and partners and is an incredible volunteer-run organization that provides resources, education, events, and most importantly, community to the local entrepreneurial ecosystem,” Allison Byers, Founder and CEO, Scroobious, said. “Running a startup can be isolating and many founders lack the network and resources they need in the early stages. Startup Boston brings together founders, investors, and partners in a collaborative and supportive environment to establish meaningful connections, share resources, and make the Boston startup scene feel warm and approachable.”

To register for Startup Boston Week visit https://www.startupbos.org/startup-week

About Startup Boston
Startup Boston is strengthening Boston innovation by educating, connecting, and celebrating entrepreneurs. Created by the community, for the community, we create events rooted in the development and celebration of people who are pushing boundaries, solving tough problems, and asking every day—how might we do this better? Our events are designed to be a platform through which innovators can learn from and challenge one another, build new partnerships, strengthen ties, and celebrate both failure and growth. More information can be found at http://startupbos.org or on Twitter @startupbosorg.

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