SXSW Pitch Finalist: AVA Byte
The Forrest Four-Cast: February 5, 2020
Are you an urbanite craving a connection with nature? Do you lack space, time, and skill to garden indoors?
Enter AVA Byte, the world’s smartest indoor garden. AVA Technologies Inc. unlocks the green thumb in anyone and empowers users to produce food at home with compostable plant pods that grow fresh herbs and clean greens year-round with just a push of a button. Pre-seeded, soil-free, and full of nutrients — the pods come packed with everything plants need to thrive. The patent-pending AVA Byte knows exactly what you’re growing and will adapt the light and water schedule to nurture the harvest. Owners can track their countertop herbs and salad greens through the AVA Smart Garden app.
Valerie Song, CEO & Founder of AVA Technologies Inc., a self-described “foodie, techie, and proud nerd,” says her life mission is “to become a prominent female leader who is socially responsible, multi-functionally competent, and positively inspiring.”
AVA, which has raised over $2 million, is taking orders now for the initial launch of the AVA Byte growing system.
One of 50 finalists for SXSW Pitch 2020, see Ava Byte pitching in the category of Consumer Technology & CPG (9:30 to 10:30 am Sunday, March 15) before a live audience and a panel of expert judges.
Winners in each of the 10 categories will be announced at the Pitch Awards Ceremony, at 6:30 pm Sunday, March 15. SXSW attendees are also invited to Meet the Finalists from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm Monday, March 16. All SXSW Pitch events take place at the Hilton Austin Downtown.
Song answered some questions about her startup experience.
What is your top goal for Ava Byte for 2020?
A successful launch with high growth for our customers and for us.
What motto or quote do you live by?
“Get growing.” It’s the same for work as it is for life — no matter what I do, I want to be able to enrich my mind and nourish my soul.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten — or given?
So many! The two at the top of my mind currently: “there’s more to life than work, so work to live, don’t live to work.” And “you get what you tolerate.”
Tell us your favorite thing about Vancouver, B.C., where AVA Technologies Inc. is based.
Vancouver is a beautiful city with a wide variety of delicious underrated food options that could compete with the best restaurants in the world. Restaurants and businesses place a big focus on nurturing our connection to nature with zero waste, locally grown, and sustainable technology initiatives.
If you weren’t working for AVA Technologies Inc., what would you be doing?
Launching another brand, developing my skills, and supporting others to launch their businesses!
Tell us about something you love.
Playing volleyball — it’s how I met my significant other, and it’s our weekly ritual. It helps me unleash stress, socialize with others, and work on teamwork!
What do you do when you are low on energy?
When I’m low on energy or need inspiration, I turn to cooking and edible experiences — it’s hard to pass up a great bowl of pho, omakase, or fish taco. I am still new to cooking many different types of ethnic cuisines, and it’s always fun to learn about the culinary culture!
Tell us about a memorable celebrity encounter.
At CES this year, Mark Cuban walked into the Chandelier Bar. Many people were nervous to talk to him, other than the Caucasian men. I thought — hey, if I am an advocate for minority women in business, I should just go up there and introduce myself. So I did! Hi Mark :).
If you were offered the opportunity to colonize Mars (but with no guarantee that you would return to Earth), would you go?
I would send AVA Bytes and AVA seedpods to grow on Mars instead! I would love interstellar travel, but I’m not giving up on Earth yet. There’s still a lot we can and should be doing to nourish the Earth and turn things around for our next generations.
Look for more interviews with other finalists in this space between now and the start of SXSW Pitch on Saturday, March 14. Visit this page to see all previous interviews in this series, as well as a list of all 50 finalists for this competition.
If you are an entrepreneur, check out the SXSW 2020 Startups Track, which runs March 13–17. This track brings together founders and funders and showcases exciting new companies, products, services, and business models across different verticals and industries.
Hugh Forrest serves as Chief Programming Officer at SXSW, the world’s most unique gathering of creative professionals. He also tries to write at least four paragraphs per day on Medium. These posts often cover tech-related trends; other times they focus on books, pop culture, sports and other current events.
