The Seattle startup community is relatively tight knit. While I think some people have valley envy, the smallness actually makes for a group of people that know each other better than they might if there were more folks doing startups. A couple of years ago at a local entrepreneur seminar I met Ksenia Oustiougova, founder of Lilipip Studios.

Invariably when you hear of successful small businesses, you hear a story of iteration, and hard work. You hear a story of how the company started out doing one thing and ended up almost accidentally finding the thing that was their real business. While they didn’t start there, Lilipip has found their niche making custom short videos for companies wanting to burnish their image and get their message out online. Ksenia kept at it until she found her business, and given the results, her persistence was clearly the right move. Their videos are adorable, effective, and fresh. Not only do they have a vibrant and interesting look, but they get the message across clearly and simply. Here’s an example:

Zappos from Lilipip Studios on Vimeo.

We’re proud to welcome Lilipip as our latest sponsor for our small business conference — Small and Special. Thanks to them, at the end of the event, we’ll have a drawing for a special stage prize, courtesy of Ksenia and Lilipip. Every Small and Special attendee will have the chance to win our new stage prize — a one minute video courtesy of Lilipip Studios. This video would normally cost almost $8000 to have made, but one lucky winner will get it for free.

Thanks Ksenia and Lilipip for this incredible prize. Anyone interested in coming to the event and having a chance at winning the animated spot, make sure to sign up for Small and Special soon. Seats are filling up quickly.