Parrots 2021 Year in Review
A Grand Year in Flight
2021 was a year full of accomplishments, accolades, attention, and remarkable progress here at Parrots Inc! To celebrate the New Year, we’re going to take a quick flight down Memory Lane to share with you a recap of everything we accomplished together. Continue reading to learn more about the awards we’ve won, the recognition we’ve earned, exciting additions to Team Parrots, and of course, how you can join us starting tomorrow at CES in Las Vegas! We hope you’ll stop by to see us, help us celebrate, and join our work to fly higher in 2022!
A Winning Record in 2021
We launched into 2021 with a huge accomplishment, emerging victorious at the prestigious SXSW Pitch Event by taking home the win in the Artificial Intelligence, Robotics & Voice category! Our pitch was delivered by our Founder, David Hojah, after months of hard work and development between him & our new Chief Marketing Officer, Heather Lawver. Landing on such a big stage and taking home the prize was a huge accomplishment, one we’re all incredibly proud of. SXSW’s Pitch Event is considered one of the top pitch contests in the world & winning it was a huge honor. Click here to check out the official announcement!
Moving into May, we were named a CTIA Wireless Foundation Catalyst 2021 Semi-Finalist! Catalyst is a competitive grants program for social entrepreneurs using wireless to solve pressing health and well-being issues. Catalyst identifies and funds early stage change-makers that take advantage of the speed, efficiency and versatility of wireless to improve the health and well-being of Americans. As a part of the program, we received invaluable support, networking opportunities, and prominent features on the CTIA website. We’re thrilled to have their support!
We were truly gaining momentum throughout the year! Come June, we landed another big win with the Novartis Innovation Prize for Assistive Tech! With it we not only won a prize, but welcomed a new partner in Novartis. Specialist tech and accessibility judges from Sequoia, Airbnb and Whill, as well as patient experts from Shift.ms, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and people living with MS, evaluated exciting innovations from around the world.
“We focused on patient-centered innovation because, as a company, we’ve spent a lot of time trying to understand how we can be a catalyst for technology that is created by and for the MS community,” says Marie-France Tschudin, President of Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Among a huge diversity of entries including lifestyle brands, apps, and hardware, the judges were impressed by innovations that deeply addressed what MS patients have been saying for years: that the daily challenges of mobility and accessibility were just as important to them as what occurred in the doctor’s office.
We continue to be deeply honored by the support we’ve received from Novartis.
2021 AWB Entrepreneur of the Year
We thought we’d hit the highest heights possible, having already taken home top prizes from so many remarkable institutions. But November had another big surprise in store, with our Founder, David Hojah, being awarded the Association of Washington Business 2021 Entrepreneur of the Year Award! They hosted a spectacular gala event on November 18th, where we were chosen from a selection of truly astounding nominees. To read our original announcement & see additional photos from the evening, please click here!
We continue to thank the AWB for their support & belief in our dedication to uplifting the disability community, both in Washington State and around the world. There’s truly nothing better than not only working on something you’re truly passionate about, and then then having that passion, hard work, and dedication recognized by your peers & your community.
With the year winding down in December, we still had a few more awards up our sleeves! We were honored to be named a Top 3 Finalist in the University Startup World Cup. Competing against some of the best startups in the world was quite a challenge & were thrilled to be seen as one of the top three in the world in the Digital/Growth Stage category.
Last, but certainly not least, we were also chosen as the 2nd Place Winner in the ATS Labs Demo Day pitch competition, taking home a prize of $2,500! It’s truly been an astounding year, surpassing even our wildest hopes & dreams. Our deepest thanks to all of the people, companies, organizations, and communities who have honored us with their support, encouragement, and recognition. It truly means the world to us as we continue to fight for the disabled community.
Parrots Making Noise & Being Heard
In addition to all of the wonderful awards we’ve received this year, we also garnered a fair amount of attention in the media! Here’s a quick selection of a few of the articles written about our growth, progress, and the people we serve.
GeekWire.com • Life Sciences Startups in Eastern Washington Find a Welcoming Ecosystem Away from Big Cities
by Charlotte Schubert, September 18, 2021
In this article, Parrots & our Founder were highlighted as a prominent startup in the Spokane area. “You can get very well connected here very quickly,” said David. “It’s the connection, the people, the vibes and the energy.”
The Spokesman-Review • Spokane-Based Parrots Inc. Wins Entrepreneur of the Year Award
by Amy Edelen • Nov 20, 2021
Check out this fantastic coverage of the AWS Entrepreneur of the Year award and the gala event hosted at the Tacoma Convention Center on the 18th.
Click here to read the full piece from The Spokesman-Review.
D Magazine • How This AI Parrot Is Giving Navigation & Communication to Those Who Need It
By Will Maddox, December 1, 2021
This article from a prominent Dallas magazine does a beautiful job capturing the mission, purpose, and people behind Parrots Inc! Check it out to learn more, including several great quotes from David.
Spokane Journal of Business • Top 25 Spokane Business Stories of 2021
By Linn Parish, December 27, 2021
We were honored to be featured in this story covering 25 spectacular business successes in our hometown of Spokane, Washington!
Our Growing Flock at Team Parrots
Team Parrots is especially excited to welcome our new Chief Marketing Officer, Heather Lawver! As a long-time entrepreneur, Heather is familiar with both the successes & stresses that come a social impact founder. Her startup journey began when she launched an EdTech non-profit at the age of 13. Heather was a fellow in the inaugural cohort of the Halcyon Incubator, which is where she met our founder, David Hojah. She has been a supporter & friend to the organization ever since, helping to develop their pitch decks, designing this website, and more. She’s thrilled to make it official!
“As a disabled individual myself, I understand the challenges that come from trying to navigate a world that simply wasn’t built for the needs of the disabled,” she says. “I’m 100% committed to David’s mission & his vision for Parrots; to make accessible technology not only intuitive, but most importantly, financially accessible to all those who need it. Everyone deserves to communicate freely & live their best independent life. I know Parrots will help countless people achieve just that & I couldn’t be prouder to support that mission in advancing the rights & abilities of everyone in the disabled community. There are an untold number of Stephen Hawkings out there in the world, just waiting for a friendly parrot on their shoulder to help uplift their voice.”
These days Heather lives in Washington, DC, where she’s the founder of Perfectly Pitched, which helps early stage social entrepreneurs with their branding, marketing & pitch deck needs.
Meet Heather Lawver, Parrots Inc’s new Chief Marketing Officer
Join Us at CES 2022 in Las Vegas!
As we kick off another exciting year at Parrots Inc, we hope you’ll join us starting tomorrow at the Consumer Electronics Showcase in Las Vegas, Nevada! Come meet Polly and learn more about how you can help us to advance the cause of disability rights, access, and independence. You’ll find us at Tech West Booth 51830!
We’ve prepared a full guide to CES which you can see here! Or if you’d like to download a handy map we created to help guide you to our location, just click the button.
We hope you’ll stop by, say hello, and celebrate everything we’ve accomplished so far! We’ve flown high in 2021, but we know we can reach even greater heights this year. Come fly with us & help us bring Parrots to everyone in need throughout the disabled community and beyond.
Thank you to everyone who helped make 2021 such a successful year for Team Parrots!
We’re sending you & your loved ones all the best wishes for a happy, healthy, and successful new year! Hope to see you tomorrow in Las Vegas!
