HubSpot is excited to announce today the winner of its #SummerStartup competition, an initiative to find and support the next great entrepreneur. More than 14,000 people pitched their startup ideas, who were narrowed down to 250 finalists, and ultimately, one winner: Sarah Wasser, founder of ParTea Booze Infusers.
Photo Credit: Desiree Currie
“The definition of ‘Dream Job’ has changed so dramatically over the last few decades - now, 38% of people say running their own company would be their dream job,” said HubSpot Co-founder & CEO Brian Halligan. “That’s why we’re so excited to see how our Summer Startup winner uses HubSpot’s support to grow, and how that will impact their performance in the coming years.”
ParTea Booze Infusers are blends of dried fruits and spices for flavoring your liquor. The infusers come in the form of teabags that you allow to steep overnight in a spirit of your choice - after 24 hours, you have a custom cocktail that you can use as a base for another drink, or drink as-is.
“I’m so excited for the opportunity to work on my business full-time,” said Wasser. “ParTea has been a labor of love for years, and I’m thrilled to have the resources, tools, and advice I need to take it to the next level.”
HubSpot’s #SummerStartup competition was an open call for the anyone to pitch their business ideas on Facebook in 25 words or less, for a chance to win $100,000 to pursue their passion. To help make their dream a reality, the winner also received three years of free access to HubSpot’s Growth Stack software suite and the opportunity to be mentored by some of the world’s brightest business minds from companies like Netflix, Atlassian, Moz, Harvard Business School, and HubSpot.
The #SummerStartup campaign’s launch video quickly went viral on Facebook with more than 3 million views, as well as top-tier media coverage from the Huffington Post, Inc., Business Insider, Insider, and more. With over 14,000 people applying for the chance to win, HubSpot followed up with the top 1,000 ideas, and received hundreds of innovative video pitches for viable businesses in response. In the end, Wasser’s idea proved to be the perfect combination of transformational and viable, and ParTea was selected as the winner.
#SummerStartup is just one of the ways HubSpot is getting involved in the startup ecosystem. In 2016, the company launched HubSpot for Startups, aimed at helping startups grow and scale their businesses more effectively. Available through over 800 global accelerators, incubators, and VC partners - including TechStars, Y-Combinator, and Matrix Partners - HubSpot for Startups fills the gap in sales and marketing many young startups face with education and up to a 90% software discount. In combination with the wealth of free content and mentorship available through HubSpot Academy and inbound.org, HubSpot has invested heavily in reducing the difficulties many young startups face from the moment they open their doors.
Originally published Sep 22, 2017 11:51:09 AM, updated January 19 2023