Over 100 potential Houston-area investors filled The Cannon last night for Cannon Ventures’ second successful pitch night, this time focused on Houston area startups with female founders or co-founders. As the crowd settled, they were welcomed by The Cannon and Cannon Ventures CEO Lawson Gow, who highlighted the The Cannon’s mission to help grow Houston’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and the need for investors to step up and help keep these exciting startups in Houston. Following Gow’s rousing call to action, Houston Rockets on-court host and our emcee for the night, Shelby Coppedge, kicked us off by welcoming X&Y Technologies, IDEA Lab Kids, and Elliegrid to the stage.

CEO and Founder Dr. Brittany Barreto began the night by explaining how DNA-compatibility testing can disrupt both the online dating industry (Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, etc.) and the emerging market of commercial DNA testing (Ancestry.com, 23andme). She walked the audience through her own experiences with dating apps and how her background and doctorate in Genetics gave her a unique perspective to start her own business.

X&Y Technologies offers the Pheramor dating app which connects singles with other genetically compatible singles, and the soon-to-be-launched We Have Chemistry platform which analyzes genetic compatibility for couples. X&Y Technologies is currently raising a $2.2M round of funding.

IDEA Lab Kids Founder and Chief Visionary Officer Ghazal Qureshi took the stage next and opened up talking about how her experiences as a mother inspired her to start her own summer camp and after-school program – IDEA Lab Kids. IDEA Lab Kids offers educational services for kids of ages 3-14 in a STEAM-based brick and mortar camp, utilizing unique programs and services ranging from events and classes to more hands-on programming.

Quereshi outlined IDEA Lab Kids’ exciting growth strategy, as they are continuing to expand into new territories through IDEA Lab Kids’ International Franchise Company. Quereshi aims to open IDEA Lab Kids franchises across the United States and beyond! IDEA Lab Kids is currently raising a $700K round of funding.

Abe Matamoros was the last to take the stage and shared the story of how his co-founder Regina Vatterott’s challenges in managing her medication led to the formation of EllieGrid, the pill box with brains and beauty. EllieGrid is a physical pillbox that connects to your phone via bluetooth and can send alerts to you or your caretaker when it is time to take your medication. EllieGrid also monitors compliance data, which can provide pharmacies and insurance agencies with the valuable data points needed to ensure patients are getting the most effective care. EllieGrid (our Insperity Innovation Scholarship Winner), fresh off an extremely productive trip to CES and meetings with a number of major retailers, is currently raising a $1M round of funding following a successful Kickstarter campaign that helped launch the company.

The Cannon will continue to help connect Houston area startups with interested investors through our Investor Network. If you would like to learn more about the network please visit http://cannonventureshouston.com/investors. Stay tuned for the announcement of our next pitch night coming up later this year!