Innovative Furniture Leasing Company Feather Emerges Victorious From ‘Pitch Battle’ THE COMPANY BEAT OUT 11 OTHER COMPETITIVE TECH STARTUPS
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By Jesse Williams
espite the fact that only one company could leave victorious at the third annual National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) iOi Pitch Battle, it hardly felt like a brawl. Though furniture rental company Feather was named the winner out of 12 tech startups competing, taking home $15,000 and claiming a booth at the 2021 REALTORS® Conference & Expo in November, the event was more an exclusive meeting of the minds than MMA fight-night, as company representatives and attendees relished the rare chance to mingle and share ideas in person. “The years that we’ve done the pitch battle, the 12 companies have a bonding experience and they create relationships,” says Dan Weisman, who helped put on the event as the director of Emerging Technologies at NAR. ”This year in particular...they’re hanging out, they’re friends [and] supporting each other.” Despite uncertainty around pan60 October 2021 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE
demic conditions that required a lastminute venue change, Weisman says eventually everything (and everyone) came together to make sure things went forward safely and smoothly. “People were so onboard with [safety requirements] and respectful of that, and I thought that was a really cool thing to do because, at the end of the day, everyone realized how
important it was,” he says. The battle itself—lightning rounds of four-minute pitches with four-minute Q&As—saw a lot of sparks but felt almost like a collaborative effort, according to Feather CEO Jay Reno. “It felt like there was a really good camaraderie around the table,” he says.
“Our mission is to transform humanity’s relationship with material goods for a healthier and happier planet.” -JAY RENO CEO, Feather
“It was nice to get to know a bunch of other...people who are doing really incredible things.” “This year’s iOi Summit delivered on the promise to highlight trailblazing products and ideas,” said NAR CEO Bob Goldberg in a statement.
