ShipLync comes out on top in the #VinettaProjectDC $20K challenge

On Thursday evening a who’s-who of the #dctech scene gathered at Social Tables HQ downtown to watch the finals of the Vinetta Project’s $20K pitch challenge.
But first the crowd heard from an all-female panel of venture capitalists — Mary Miller of Baltimore Angels, Suzanne King of NEA, Kristin Gunther of Revolution Growth and Lisa Cuesta of NextGen Venture Partners. The members of the panel, who also served as judges for the pitches to come, spoke about their career paths, what they look for in investments and how they do their work — key information for many of the gathered entrepreneurs.
And then it was time for the main event — three pitches from the three winners of the semi-final nights this year.

• Alex McManus, cofounder of Eyrus
• Saureen Desai, cofounder of ShipLync
• Stacie Whisonant, founder of PYT Funds

All took the stage, using the few minutes offered to try to wow the judges.

Up first, here's Alex McManus of Eyrus. @VinettaProject pic.twitter.com/CsLYcwViTQ

— Technical.ly DC (@TechnicallyDC) September 29, 2016

And now – Stacie Whisonant and @payyourtuition. cc @VinettaProject @socialtables #VinettaProjectDC pic.twitter.com/fmHMcabtjW

— Technical.ly DC (@TechnicallyDC) September 29, 2016

Last but certainly not least, it's Saureen Desai and @ShipLync. cc @VinettaProject @socialtables #VinettaProjectDC pic.twitter.com/g9h7emj88s

— Technical.ly DC (@TechnicallyDC) September 30, 2016

Ultimately, it was Desai, and ShipLync, who went home with the $20K. ShipLync, you may recall, is the company Desai often calls the “Expedia of shipping”  — it’s a platform that allows commercial-level shippers to get quotes from a bunch of different logistics service providers all in one place. The company hopes to bring a bit of price transparency and competitive economics to what is otherwise a very old-school industry.

ShipLync won the Vinetta Project $20K challenge. (Screenshot)