Christina Reynolds, 39

“It’s the Uber of …” has become a common way to pitch a new idea, particularly in the tech space, and Christina Reynolds doesn’t shy away from describing her human resources app, ShortStaf, as an “Uber-ish” service. It’s an on-demand staffing app for hospitality companies and workers. It can also be a big help to people who entertain guests at private events in their homes, which is where Reynolds got the idea for ShortStaf. 

“I was dating somebody who had an 8-year-old, and we were throwing a birthday party at our house,” she recalls. The home required a key fob for entry, so she had to let each guest in while her boyfriend ran the grill, and most of the attendees had dietary restrictions. Reynolds says she insisted on making all the food herself, and it didn’t go well. 

Photo by Mark Wemple