Grist Analytics, a startup that supports brewers, vintners and spirit-makers took home the $200,000 prize at the final round of this spring’s Seattle Angel Conference startup competition, held virtually Wednesday.
Boulder-Colo.-based Grist makes software to automate quality control for craft beer, wine and spirit making. The tool aims to help companies increase production throughput and improve consistency of their products. The startup also provides access to brewing professionals to help analyze the data and provide support. Grist was founded in 2019 by CEO Brynn Keenan, a biochemist and fermentation scientist who has worked in brewery labs.
Five other startups competed in the final round, winnowed from a field of 95. Three were from the Seattle area: Curie, which converts 2D photos into 3D models for online retailers; Hal9, which brings AI experts and non-experts together on its platform; and Pure Blue Tech, which develops self-cleaning membranes for water purification. Skip Technology hails from Portland, Ore., and is developing large-scale batteries for uses including solar and wind energy. Instinct Environmental, a Hillsboro, Ore.-based startup developing a wireless sensor network for real-time wildfire detection and environmental monitoring, took home the audience vote.
The twice-yearly conference is based in Seattle but is now virtual with participants nationwide. The conference has educated more than 500 new investors in the last ten years and invested more than $4.8 million in 41 startups, using funds pooled from the angels. New “qualified” angel investors — with either $1 million in assets or $200,000 in annual income — work with experienced investors to vet dozens of companies over several months. The next competition begins in September.
