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The competition was not only stiff, it was worldwide! And when judges came down to choosing the winner of StartPup 2016, they boiled it down to Amelie, a sweet-faced Frenchie who relishes her role as “Head of Client Services” for the London-based branding agency, Rooster Punk.
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The competition was billed as the first ever for startup dogs and put together by Wistia, a marketing and analytics platform, in a collaboration with Humane Society International. Startup companies worldwide were encouraged to create two-minute videos about their resident office pooches, showcasing how having dogs in the workplace contributes to a positive environment. The contest was inspired in part by Wistia’s own office dog: Lenny.
“It is obvious to me that wherever you are, office pups can be a positive and welcome influence at work.” Chris Lavigne, Wistia’s video production head and Lenny’s owner, told Newsweek.
In addition to her fancy new title, Amelie won a lifetime Wistia video plan, a $500 donation to a local Humane Society, and a GroPro camera for the human workers at Rooster Punk.
The runner-up was miniature poodle Charlie from Los Angeles-based online marketing company Wpromote. Honorable mentions included the many office dogs at SCOTTeVEST, the clothing startup that says its offices are “dog-centric.”
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“It’s not just about the environment we created for the dogs, but about the happiness we all have by having our dogs beside us during the day,” SCOTTeVest said in a Facebook post.
Amelie took the win “on the account of her blend of humor, elegance, and adventurousness,” Wistia said in its news release.