Woman Founder Grant
Apply to win a marketing and communications consulting package customized for early-stage companies in the Pacific Northwest.
Applications open April 1-30
We invite women founders of early-stage companies in the Pacific Northwest who are using technology to make a positive impact to apply.
Kingston Marketing Group is founded by women and committed to supporting other women founders to build enduring brands. We know the challenges that women face when raising money for new ventures and getting a seat at the table and are proud to be doing our part to help through our Woman Founder Grant.
Women Founders with companies that fit the application criteria can apply to win a $20,000 marketing and communication consulting package customized for their needs. With deep in-house experience, our small and thoughtfully curated team will work seamlessly with the grant winner from strategy to tactics to execution to expand the brand’s potential.
How to apply
Applicants must meet the below criteria and submit the required materials by April 30, 2021 to be considered for the Woman Founder Grant.
Company Criteria
Woman Founder
Using technology to make a positive impact in the world
Raised USD $0.5mm-$5mm
12+ months post launch and has evidence of market traction
Based in the Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon, British Columbia)
Required Application Materials
Share your pitch deck (providing a quick overview of your business plan, team and traction in the market.)
Submit responses to the following:
Tell us your founder story and describe what problem your company is trying to solve.
Describe your target customer.
How will Kingston Marketing Group’s communications and brand marketing consulting help you to achieve your business goals?
Describe your key marketing tactics to date. What has been your most successful tactic? What have you learned?
Provide your company’s mission and values statement (if defined).
Finalist Presentation to Judges Panel
3 finalists will be selected and notified on May 10th. Finalists will need to participate in a virtual presentation of their pitch deck to the judges panel from 1:00pm to 2:30pm PST on May 19, 2021 to proceed in the competition.
Applicant Scoring
Applications will be evaluated based on business potential, marketing need and founder’s story and goals.
Judges Panel
Finalists will present to an independent panel of judges who have expertise working with startups in the Pacific Northwest.
Maria Colacurcio
Syndio, CEO
Maria is CEO of Syndio, where she is responsible for the company’s vision and strategy for delivering innovative solutions, building an organization of the industry’s most talented people, and developing organizational excellence to deliver the highest levels of business value to its customers. Most importantly, she is passionate about issues surrounding equal pay and equity at work. Prior to joining Syndio, Maria co-founded Smartsheet.com, a work collaboration tool for companies of all sizes.
Kirby Winfield
Ascend, Founding General Partner
Kirby is a seasoned startup operator and investor, and is currently the Founding General Partner at Ascend.vc, a pre-seed stage venture fund investing in marketplace, e-commerce/DTC, and B2B software startups in the Pacific Northwest. Kirby has invested in dozens of technology startups, and served as a Board Director of the real estate CRM platform Sharper Agent (sold to LEDR/Z), and the in-store customer experience platform Spectrio (sold to Bertram Capital).
Ishani Ummat
Madrona, Investor
Ishani focuses on sourcing and evaluating new investment opportunities across Madrona’s investment themes, as well as supporting the growth and strategy of current portfolio companies. Ishani is particularly interested in how the next wave of digital-physical customer experiences are going to shape verticals like fintech and healthcare. She believes the power of young entrepreneurs with bold ideas will get us there.
Anthony Kerr
Microsoft, Go-to-Market Strategy Lead & The Collective, Founder
Anthony Kerr is the Worldwide Learning Go-to-Market Lead for Skills for Employability at Microsoft where he focuses on empowering learners with the technical skills necessary to transition into careers in technology. He is also founder of The Collective Seattle, a social organization dedicated to connecting underrepresented young professionals to each other and the city itself through community, events, and experiences.