Alliance of Angels Recognizes Redfin as 2007 Company of the Year
SEATTLE – May 31, 2007 — The Alliance of Angels (AoA), the Northwest’s premier angel investment organization, today presented its 2007 Company of the Year award to Seattle-based Redfin, the real estate industry's first online brokerage.
The award, presented at the Technology Alliance’s annual State of Technology luncheon at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center, honors and encourages the entrepreneurial spirit of new businesses in the Pacific Northwest.
Redfin was selected by AoA leadership from a field of five Washington-based finalists, all technology-focused companies that have presented to AoA’s member-investors in the past three years. The other finalists were Amnis Corporation, a developer of in-flow cell imaging technology for advanced clinical and research applications; Escapia, a provider of Web-based vacation rental management and marketing software; OnRequest Images, which delivers custom stock photography and image management solutions; and SNAPin, a developer of self service customer care software for mobile devices.
“Redfin has been in the national spotlight as a disruptive technology model in a traditional industry. We applaud the company’s many accomplishments and its capital efficiency as further evidence that the Pacific Northwest is a hotbed of entrepreneurial innovation,” said Dan Rosen, chairman of the Alliance of Angels and CEO of Dan Rosen & Associates. “This year’s competition was intense, with many great angel-funded companies achieving their business goals and gaining traction in the marketplace. We had a difficult choice to make and are thrilled to acknowledge Redfin as well as the other finalists for their achievements.”
Finalists were chosen based upon their entrepreneurial spirit, traction with investors, progress toward meeting business plan goals, and positive impact on the technology economy. The five finalist companies collectively employ more than 230 people, nearly all of them in Washington.
Redfin was founded in 2003 and is led by technology entrepreneurs from Plumtree Software and Applied Discovery. The company combines technology with a customer-centric business model to deliver home-buying and selling services with significant savings to the consumer. Redfin has been steadily gaining momentum, closing a round of venture funding with Madrona Venture Group, and doubling its site traffic in 2006. Offering service in Seattle, San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, Orange County, Calif., San Diego and Boston, the company plans to expand nationwide over the next two years, targeting Washington, D.C. and Chicago in its next phase of growth.
About the Alliance of Angels and the Technology Alliance
The Alliance of Angels is a group of accredited investors and representatives of investment firms who invest in early-stage technology companies that are based in Washington state or the vicinity. The organization represents the Northwest’s most experienced and best-networked private investors, with expertise in high-tech and high-growth companies.
The Alliance of Angels is a program of the Technology Alliance, a statewide non-profit organization of leaders from Washington’s diverse technology and related businesses and research institutions dedicated to building and sustaining a vibrant technology-based economy in our state. AoA helps support a vibrant entrepreneurial climate and the growth of new technology companies in our region by facilitating more efficient access to capital, providing web-based resources and producing educational events for investors and entrepreneurs. More information can be found at www.allianceofangels.com and www.technology-alliance.com.
Media contact
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- Kristin Osborne
- (206) 389-7320
- Text 100 Public Relations
- Beth Mayer
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