Hootie Hoo

We LOVE what the Tory Burch Foundation does to support female entrepreneurs and are excited to see our very own Claire Zhu accepted in to the program!

It's been a whirlwind of a month here at Hootie Hoo! We kicked off with a trip out west to Denver for The Big Gear Show, a massive event that partners with The Outside Festival to create a unique experience. It connects innovative outdoor gear makers with buyers and customers, all alongside great food and music! Big thanks to the continued support from the REI Path Ahead Ventures team, especially to Susan V. for leadership and Kelli Marks and Jaclyn Allen for working tirelessly to support the PAV founders! Also, thanks to The Denver Gazette for the shoutout (https://rb.gy/swweni)! Then our CEO, Claire Zhu, had the honor of speaking at the Vermont Womenpreneurs Summit, sharing her experience building a startup and her sources of renewal and inspiration that set her on the path to helping keep kids outside. What an inspirational group of speakers and female entrepreneurs! So much gratitude to Mieko A. Ozeki and Bethany Andrews-Nichols for leading this amazing organization! Check out the event video here: https://lnkd.in/enkSGqaf! Then we wrapped up our LaunchVT accelerator program with a pitch night at Hula, where we presented the Hootie Hoo story and our future direction to an audience of 400+! What an experience! We're very thankful for everyone who contributed to the program, and a HUGE shoutout to Lauren B. for her leadership and selfless and tireless support! Congratulations to all 8 companies for a fantastic pitch event! If you missed it, check it out here https://lnkd.in/e5t4gkAV! And the month is only half over! We're loving the ride and have more news coming soon, so follow along and stay tuned! 🙌 ☀ #startup #pitchcompetition #hootiehoo #outdoors #innovation #femaleentrepreneurs #collaboration #network

We are thrilled to announce that our co-founder, Claire Zhu, will be sharing Hootie Hoo's story at the Vermont Womenpreneurs' annual summit! She'll be joining a lineup of amazing women to discuss their journeys and inspire others. A huge shoutout to Vermont Womenpreneurs for creating such a fantastic event and providing a platform for these incredible women to share their experiences and motivate others to take the plunge. #WomenInBusiness #Entrepreneurship #HootieHookids #VermontWomenpreneurs #Inspiration #Community

Excited for The Big Gear Show in Denver, CO later this month? Join us and some fantastic outdoor startup companies, supported and sponsored by the REI Path Ahead Venture program! It's going to be an amazing opportunity to connect, collaborate, and explore the latest innovations in the outdoor industry. Can't wait to see you there! #TheBigGearShow #OutdoorInnovation #Inclusivity #Diversity #REIPathAheadVentures 🏔️🌟

Hootie Hoo representing at the Vermont Business for Social Responsibility conference~!

We're happy to be one of the companies represented in the culmination of this great program that has helped our company so much. Our thanks to @rei and #pathaheadventures Hope to see you there! https://lnkd.in/eVAcxGQc

We were featured in the Small Business Association in a new article! It’s great to get recognition for the strides we’re making to get kids in high quality gear that fits their needs. Here are a few snippets from the article, but be sure to read the full thing! “Hootie Hoo’s clothes are about making kids more independent and being good stewards, not just handing everything to mom or dad to have them carry their stuff around all day long.” Zhu says her ultimate goal is to be one of the leading children’s technical apparel brands in the U.S., Canada and China. https://lnkd.in/eGJvSuDv #startups #kids #apparel #entrepreneur #outdoors