Six startups selected to compete for $200,000 at Flywheel Investment Conference

WENATCHEE — The Flywheel Angel Network has announced six finalists who will compete for over $200,000 in angel investment awards and prizes at the upcoming Flywheel Investment Conference, scheduled for May 21-23 in Wenatchee.

The three-day conference will bring together hundreds of founders, investors, and business leaders, beginning with a welcome reception on Wednesday evening and concluding with the announcement of winners on Friday afternoon.

The event, supported by sponsors including Microsoft, Clark Nuber, AEM Movement, Peoples Bank, Freestone Capital, and The Salcido Group of Companies, aims to catalyze innovation and economic growth throughout the Pacific Northwest.

The six finalist companies represent diverse industries ranging from medical devices to sustainable seafood production:

Grace & Able, founded by an arthritis patient and hand therapist, produces FDA-registered medical devices that relieve joint pain while resembling comfortable apparel. The company reports 300% year-over-year growth and is seeking $500,000 for product development and marketing.

LensBase has developed a solution for contact lens insertion difficulties, which the company identifies as the primary reason people abandon contact lenses. Their device is currently available in over 750 clinics.

MarineSitu, a University of Washington spinoff, provides underwater monitoring solutions for marine environments. The company reports having logged over 4,000 days of field deployments with detection and classification accuracy exceeding 95%.

NewGem Foods creates wraps made from fruits and vegetables as alternatives to bread and tortillas. The patent-holding company targets consumers managing dietary restrictions in the $300 billion U.S. wellness food market.

OoNee focuses on harvesting overpopulated sea urchins threatening Pacific Northwest kelp forests. The company utilizes proprietary container-based systems to transform undernourished urchins into premium seafood products.

Pioneer Biofuels, based in Spokane, has developed technology to improve anaerobic digestion efficiency. Their proprietary booster system reportedly increases biogas yields by over 50% while reducing capital and operating costs for digesters.

The Flywheel Investment Conference is organized by NCW Tech Alliance in partnership with the Flywheel Angel Network. Previous winners include Cartogram, Agtools, Iasis Molecular Sciences, BrainSpace, ZILA Works, GemaTEG, Gnara, Alphi, Dopl Technologies, and OneCourt.

All-access tickets for the event are available for $299. More information can be found at flywheelconference.com/attend.