Mixtroz, a platform founded by a mother-daughter tech duo, raised $1 million in seed funding, becoming one of only 40 Black female founders to hit this fundraising mark.
Kerry Schrader and Ashlee Ammons created Mixtroz in 2014 to help users navigate networking events and drive engagement for authentic connection. The funding will help the company hire more members to support the growth of its core team.
“Achieving this milestone is a huge success for us, especially considering we are black, female, non-technical tech founders,” said Kerry Schrader, Mixtroz co-founder, and CEO.
They won the Rise of the Rest pitch competition in May 2018 in Birmingham—where the startup is based— securing a $100,000 investment.
“As a startup, Birmingham has proved to be a perfect home base for us. They have figured out how civic, corporate and tech ecosystems must come together to breed success, and we attribute a lot of our accomplishments to the supportive business community here,” said Schrader in a statement to AfroTech.
The founders attribute their milestone to the support of Innovation Depot’s Velocity Accelerator, Bronze Valley, a Birmingham-based fund and online resource.
Mixtroz not only leverages app-based technology to drive attendees to events but also allows hosts to collect real-time data on interactions.
“People attend events to make valuable connections,” said Ashlee Ammons, Mixtroz co-founder and COO. “The attendees are guaranteed to meet people of interest at events, and the organizers and sponsors can gather valuable information about the event participants in real time.”
The platform has hosted clients including the Nashville Mayor’s Office, Deloitte, Vanderbilt, Pinnacle, and Georgia Tech.
“The fact that we were able to acquire prestigious clients clearly shows that there is a real need for our product,” said Ammons. “Mixtroz is a way to make the most of your time when you have decided to make the effort to leave the house and attend an event.”
