Alexa Dillon

My Story Hi, I'm Alexa — a part-time bartender living in Seattle, and lately, a full-time idea machine. Over the last year, my life has quietly shaped a handful of invention ideas — small but smart solutions to everyday problems that I believe could really help people (and dogs!) if given a proper chance. One came while watching my boyfriend sell wood-fired pizza at our local farmers market — I realized how cramped vendor spaces can be, and how frustrating the shade limitations are. That sparked an idea to expand shaded space without breaking booth rules. I call it “Shady Business” — and yes, it’s legal. Then came Lydia — our pitbull terrier puppy, now 5 months old and full of teeth and opinions. If you’ve ever trained a bitey dog or had one who loves toilet paper, you’ll understand where my other two ideas come from. Finally, as a long-time renter, I’ve reseeded more lawns than I care to count. Every time I move out, there’s a dead patch where a planter box or storage bin used to be. That inspired my final invention — a clever modular platform system to protect the grass beneath lawn setups. Why I’m Here These ideas are ready for the next step — but before I share them publicly or pitch them to companies, I need to protect them legally. That means filing provisional patents on all four before the real work can begin. I need help covering costs: filing fees, design diagrams, and materials for early prototypes. How I Plan to Give Back It is very important to me to make this experience not just rewarding for myself but for a few select individuals. Once my patents are pending I will be assembling a group of ambitious and bright college students from the University of Washington, that I will call Alexa’s Business Collective. This opportunity will give them real world experience, resume filler, opportunities to travel and royalties for any product that gets off the ground. I would also love to give back to my supporters with regular updates, behind the scene sketches, first dibs on product test samples and polls to choose product names and logos. The End Goal In a world where big business runs everything I want to create products that are reasonably priced, easily accessible, and help the little guys get ahead. If this venture proves to be successful then I will likely expand to making more products designed to enrich society. Thank you Whether you donate, share this campaign, or just cheer me on, thank you. It’s not easy being an inventor without a garage or a budget — but with a little help, I think I can turn these quirky life lessons into real products that help others too.