Susan Sierota

Post-pitch story

Susan Sierota pitched Waggit as a smart collar that keeps track of a dog's health, a fitness tracker for pets that could flag problems early. The Boulder, Colorado company raised a seed round in 2017, and in February 2020 it announced it had sold its first 1,000 collars. Like many hardware startups, though, Waggit couldn't raise the follow-on money it needed and closed in early 2021. Sadly, Sierota died in July 2026 after a battle with cancer, and those who knew her remember her as a mission-driven founder. Waggit's story is a reminder that behind every pitch is a person who bet on an idea they believed in.