Brightly CEO Laura Wittig Plans to Power Growth from Her Pierce County Home Through Deep Bench of PNW Tech Talent

The spark for Laura Wittig and Liza Moiseeva’s eco-commerce venture, Brightly, started in 2019 with a podcast.

As a product manager for major e-commerce leaders like Amazon and Sephora, Laura became increasingly curious about what sustainability really means for the commerce world. “Sustainability means many different things to many people. Personally, a lot of it centers on waste and how we prevent more new products from entering the cycle,” Laura shared. “I was very interested in purchasing more eco-friendly products, but every time I would try and find this information, I felt like I was being judged.”

Laura and Liza started the “Good Together” podcast to provide listeners with daily, actionable tips that simplify what it means to live more sustainable lives. The podcast quickly grew in popularity and landed Laura and Lisa a spot in Snapchat’s Yellow Accelerator program, where their side project grew into a full-fledged venture.

Brightly, a discovery and community platform, helps conscious consumers around the world find and purchase ethically developed products. “We’re ensuring high satisfaction by thoroughly testing all of our products, but we’re also rethinking the way e-commerce operates,” Laura shared. To maintain a low carbon footprint, Brightly’s model utilizes monthly shopping windows that allow the team to pack and ship items in bulk. Today, the company reaches more than 2 million Gen Z and millennial women across digital platforms every day.

Laura and her husband took advantage of work flexibility during the pandemic to relocate to the Puget Sound. Leading her remote-first team from her Pierce County, Fox Island home, Laura is optimistic about the potential of the region to help grow Brightly, and even hosted the company’s first-ever offsite on Fox Island. “We’re really drawn to areas that are up and coming from a tech perspective. There’s a lot of potential here and this region is going to continue to grow as a commerce hub,” she shared, pointing to legendary Washington State businesses like Starbucks and Nordstrom.

In early 2021, Brightly raised $1 million in venture funding with support from Puget Sound area investors Tacoma Venture Fund, Keeler Investments, and Female Founder’s Alliance.

The funding has supported Brightly’s team expansion and building out the company’s e-commerce arm, which launched in October.

“Brightly has been a revelation for Tacoma Venture Fund (TVF). The fun part of investing comes in the work that is done after we make the decision to invest,” shared Dennis Joyce, Director of Investments at TVF. “Working with Laura has been an incredible experience as she has the grit, drive, and determination that we look for in a founder. As we move forward into the next phase of development for Brightly, we hope the company continues to invest its resources in building out its team further in the Pacific Northwest, and TVF is committed to supporting them every step of the way. We truly feel the future is Brightly.”

To learn more about Brightly, visit shop.brightly.eco and follow them on Linkedin and Instagram. Follow Startup253 to keep up with stories from the local startup ecosystem.

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