Built a Better Product
Jennet Chow, founder and co-CEO of Evolution Design Lab, maker of software for shoe manufacturers: “We are like the star of the footwear show. We were able to communicate in China and in the homes of our buyers very quickly.”
Ciara Imani May, founder and CEO of Rebundle, maker of biodegradable banana-fiber hair
extensions: “We launched plant-based braiding hair in January and sold out in under a month. We use minimal ingredients. Now I have hundreds of stories like, ‘I can wear my braids and not have itchiness? I will give you all my money right now.’ ”
Casey Nye
Herrington, cofounder and CEO of Left Coast Financial Solutions, an online bank for the cannabis industry: “When cannabis started exploding, we realized there’s a ton of cash flowing around in the industry, which is also a little bit scary. We thought, what’s the biggest problem? It’s obviously banking.” Sharmi Albrechtsen, founder of SmartGurlz, a maker of STEM robots and software for girls: “Our biggest achievement was adapting to the new normal and showing that our products are suitable for home school, school use, and a hybrid solution. We’ve helped thousands of children during the pandemic.” Jessica Rolph, cofounder and CEO of Lovevery, whose monthly play kit has 190,000 subscribers: “Parents were looking for social-emotional development for their children without giving them a screen. Kids weren’t getting that peer-to-peer connection.”
Shannon Seip, cofounder and co-CEO of Bean Sprouts, cafés at family attractions that see 15 million visitors a
year: “Our kids’ menu has been our shining star. During 2020, we [brought that concept] to children’s hospitals through patient meals.”
Kelly Parthen, cofounder and co-CEO of
Bean Sprouts: “During the pandemic, many family destinations realized their food offerings didn’t match their goals of being healthy. In the past year, we signed more contracts than ever.”
Vlada Bortnik, cofounder and CEO of private video chat app Marco Polo, whose signups surged 1,134 percent in March
2020: “Most social media companies are fueled by advertising. We asked people to pay for additional features. We can’t be a lifeline if we’re not around, but we weren’t going to do that in a way that’s bad for users’ digital well-being.”
Sashee Chandran, founder and CEO of Tea Drops, maker of bagless, pressed tea sold in 2,000 U.S.
stores: “Persistence and grit can get you pretty far. For someone with no technical or chemistry background, [winning a patent for Tea Drops] was just sheer will.”
Addie Gundry, founder and CEO of Pluie, maker of a selfsanitizing diaper
changing table: “Pluie was an idea that came from a mom just saying, ‘This is uncomfortable. It’s dirty. How do we make it better?’ ”
Ann McFerran, founder of Glamnetic, a magnetic eyelash company with $50 million in 2020
sales: “Many women don’t realize how toxic eyelash glue is and how damaging some lashes can be. I became passionate about how to solve this problem.” Ellington West, cofounder of Sonavi Labs, maker of A.I.powered medical devices and software: “Pneumonia kills a child every 39 seconds and can take 72 hours to diagnose. Our digital stethoscope can listen to a patient’s chest and, with the same accuracy as a physician, identify that disease.”