Abigail is the founder of Bear Mountain Weather Wear, a pant company clothing the legs of adventurous Alaskans with soft fleecy fabrics. When she’s not stitching together the fabrics that keep adventures going strong, she’s hanging with her pup, chilling with her friends, or brewing a fresh cup of coffee.

Bryce Ybanez

Bryce is a Creative Director and leads the development of the application There. When he is away from developing his app, he is busy working on his degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of Alaska Anchorage. In the early parts of his college career, he was able to plan and host various events within Anchorage but saw a lack of resources to attract specific people to his events. This sparked the idea for the There App, enabling users to match and discover specific events they are interested in. This idea was driven by core facts to increase community engagement and allow users to discover events within their area.

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Christina Swayney

Christina is currently a senior at the University of Alaska Anchorage, majoring in journalism and minoring in anthropology. She is also currently the features editor at The Northern Light at UAA, treasurer of the Anchorage chapter of The Public Relations Student Society of America, and a Tri Sigma nomination committee member. She has diverse work experience and finds that her passion is to create. She wants to share the joy she gets from creating with others.

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Dave Nespoli

Dave is the founder, CTO, and acting CEO of MusicNest.io. Specifically, he makes sure the products work, solve the right problems, and excite the users. When Dave is not turning zeros and ones into magic, he spends his days enjoying the Alaskan trails with his family and making sure that one day his son also gets to chart his own path through the world.

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Delores Gregory

Delores is the founder, CEO, and imagineer of Aleutian Hot Springs. She is passionate about her hometown, sustainability, and economic development. Until recently, she hasn’t had that much time outside of school and work, but Delores loves exploring Alaska with her family and dogs.

Vanessa Raymond

Vanessa, Telesomm founder, is a socio-technologist and entrepreneur. She has worked in tech as a project and product manager since 2012 and is committed to software that solves real-world problems, improves people’s lives, and makes for a more equitable and just world.

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Eric Gonzales

Eric Gonzales is a creative film director and photographer currently living in Anchorage, Alaska. His goal is to make every video better than the last. Continually working on his craft and documenting everything from travel to the local community on the streets has granted him the perspective to use as a force for good. By spreading the unique stories of the diverse people and the experiences of this world, he understands that we understand each other better.

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Xontippie Whittington

Xontippie is founder, CEO, lead sales, and face of Elevate and SMU. She is an extremely hard worker and never take no for an answer. Everything she does is at the height of excellence for Elevate and SMU. When she does not have her nose to the grindstone she is cuddled in a corner reading a good book, drawing the Alaskan Landscape, or designing an article of clothing.

Haley Johnston

Haley is the founder of Tundra Travels. When she’s not busy building a better kind of guide company, she works to enhance outdoor recreation in Alaska with a variety of businesses and nonprofits. An avid backpacker, Nordic skier, trail runner, pack rafter, split boarder, and backcountry skier, Haley loves being outside in Alaska. She can occasionally be lured indoors with extra sharp white cheddar and good red wine.

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Keila Aurelio

Keila is passionate about all things crafts. She hopes to promote cultural appreciation with her business idea-- developing a subscription box filled with her handmade creations.

O'Hara Shipe

O'Hara is a former pro athlete turned communications Jill-of-all-trades with a penchant for local music. When she's not out supporting the Alaska music scene, you'll catch her playing with her four-legged bestie or stopping hockey pucks on her adult league hockey team.

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Joe Grochmal

Upstart Alpha Cohort 2

Cohort 2, 2020-2021

Margo Fliss

Connect with us:

1901 Bragaw Street, Suite 199 Anchorage, AK, 99508