Pixly, a San Diego-based software startup focused on visual documentation and collaboration for construction, facilities and real estate, has won a prestigious $100,000 startup pitch contest hosted by The Veteran, according to a press release Fund hosted at the 2022 Military Influencer Conference.
Pixly was originally born out of the San Diego Connect Springboard program, which empowers entrepreneurs by providing educational programs, mentoring, induction and access to capital. There, Encinitas resident Lee Mills, a Connect mentor, met Patrick Caughey, an architect with an app idea to solve photo documentation problems he had experienced firsthand in construction. They teamed up as co-founders with Thayer Flynn, a third-generation developer and builder, to launch Pixly in late 2019, just before Covid.
Since launch, they have developed their iOS app, launched a web app version, received numerous letters of intent from leading prime contractors, and generated hundreds of early adopters along with high-profile pilots, the press release said.
“It was an incredible honor to be invited to participate in the Veteran Fund’s $100,000 Startup Contest at the Military Influencer Conference. We’ve dealt with a lot of great experienced startups with great pitches and opportunities for investors. We are honored and honored to have won the competition with the support of The Veteran Fund, the Military Influencer Conference and the military community. Pixly will use the funds to enhance the product with new features and support early customers along with sales and marketing to grow faster,” said Mills, CEO of Pixly, in the press release.
Mills came to San Diego while serving aboard the USS Constellation CV-64, America’s flagship. After serving four years and receiving a Navy Achievement Medal, he graduated from design school while working full-time as a telemarketer. He then started his tech startup career as one of the early marketers for Backup.com, followed by Anonymizer, MojoPages and Raken, where he became a construction technology expert.
“The Veteran Fund helps our nation’s heroes create and scale successful startups. Over 120 startups applied for the competition. Selecting the semifinalists and finalists based on their virtual spots was a challenge, but five stood out and Pixly won. We’re proud to help Team Pixly and look forward to helping more seasoned business leaders succeed,” said Ryan Micheletti, general partner at The Veteran Fund, in the press release.
Visit www.Pixly.ai and www.veteran.fund for more information.
