In collaboration with Paysafe, the Entreprenista League organized its first virtual pitch competition that focused on empowering women entrepreneurs. The competition brought together nine exceptional founders who had the opportunity to pitch their businesses in front of a panel of experienced investors and entrepreneurs, with a chance to win $5,000. This event highlighted the unique and innovative businesses run by women entrepreneurs, including E'MAR Italy, Myri Health, EventAve, Golden, WTHN, SISTAIN, Tazzy, Chefpost, and Marma Nutrition. The competition demonstrated the importance of supporting women-owned businesses and the power of community in creating a positive impact on the world.
Let's take a closer look at the outstanding companies and their founders who participated in the Entreprenista Virtual Pitch Competition.
- Dr. Najwa Javed - E'MAR Italy
E'MAR Italy is a luxury footwear brand that specializes in high-quality, fashionable high-heeled shoes that are designed to be comfortable and supportive. Founded by a foot and ankle surgeon who was frustrated with the lack of effective solutions for uncomfortable designer heels, E'MAR uses modern technology and data analysis to create shoes that cushion and support the feet while still looking sleek and stylish. Each shoe is handcrafted in Italy and Spain to the brand's unique technical specifications, ensuring that customers can look and feel their best all day long.
- Pinkey Patel – Myri Health
Myri Health is a postpartum rehab and support app founded by Dr. Pinkey Patel, a clinical pharmacist, and personal trainer. The app provides affordable, accessible, evidence-based support and resources for new mothers to help them recover after childbirth. The app offers personalized recovery exercises, evidence-based resources, tracking tools, and a community of anonymous forums to connect with other mothers.
- Punya Shah and Claire Steinberg – EventAve
EventAve is an event planning company that offers a range of planning packages for social and corporate social events. They begin each project with a survey and a phone conversation to determine the client's needs. Their dedicated event planner guides clients through each step of the planning process using their online dashboard, making event planning easy and enjoyable.
- Sarah Kugelman – Golden
Golden is a new skincare brand founded by the former CEO of skyn ICELAND, Sarah Kugelman, that is dedicated to catering to the skincare needs of people over 50. The brand offers cruelty-free, clean, and natural skin care products, filling a gap in the beauty industry. Sarah Kugelman's previous success in the skincare industry has positioned Golden as a promising new player in the market.
- Michelle Larivee – wthn
WTHN is an omnichannel brand for holistic healing rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Co-founded by Michelle Larivee and Dr. Shari Auth, WTHN offers acupuncture, herbs, and healing products designed to help people find relief from everyday stress and pain. The brand aims to make the transformative, science-backed benefits of Traditional Chinese Medicine more accessible, empowering customers on their health journeys through active collaboration and personalization.
- Jaclyn Tracy – SISTAIN
SISTAIN is a sustainable lifestyle brand that supports responsible and eco-friendly production and manufacturing methods. The company promotes progressive brands that align with its vision to reduce the harmful environmental effects of consumerism. SISTAIN uses third-party data science to assess a brand's sustainability efforts and aims to make living a sustainable lifestyle easier and more accessible to everyone.
- Lindsay Simon and Delia Hughes – Tazzy
Tazzy is a candy company that offers low-sugar, flavorful hard candies. Founded by two food science graduates, Tazzy aims to give hard candy a new life by offering juicy, indulgent varieties that not only burst with flavor but have zero grams of added sugar. The company's philosophy is centered around self-expression, originality, and being unapologetically bold, and they believe that hard candy deserves a place in everyone's hearts and pantries.
- Diana Arango – Chefpost
Chefpost is a platform that connects talented cooks and chefs with individuals or families who need help with their meals. Their goal is to make hiring a personal chef accessible and convenient for everyone. With their easy-to-use website and app, users can browse and find the best chef for their specific needs, whether it's for weekday meals or a special event. Chefpost aims to transform people's lives by providing them with delicious, healthy meals that are ready when they are.
- Meredith Evans McAllister – Marma Nutrition
Marma is a company that empowers women and birthing people to make nutritional choices that support a healthy pregnancy and postpartum period. They provide individualized and holistic nutrition advice, acting as a part of the birth team to support mothers at every stage of motherhood. With a monthly subscription, users have access to text-based consultations with Marma's nutrition experts to create a tailored nutritional plan that meets their unique needs.
The Entreprenista Virtual Pitch Competition was an exciting event that provided a platform for 9 talented women entrepreneurs to showcase their businesses and connect with experienced investors and mentors. The competition demonstrated the power of community and the importance of supporting women-owned businesses.
E'MAR Italy, founded by Dr. Najwa Javed, was announced as the winner of the Entreprenista Virtual Pitch Competition. The brand's innovative use of technology to create comfortable and supportive high-heeled shoes, coupled with its business model and handcrafted approach to manufacturing in Italy and Spain, impressed the panel of investors. As the winner, E'MAR Italy received a $5,000 prize and recognition for their outstanding business model and product. Read more about E’MAR Italy and Dr. Javed here!
By attending events like this, we can help empower women to achieve their dreams and make a positive impact on the world. It is inspiring to see so many women entrepreneurs breaking barriers and creating innovative solutions to the world's problems. We look forward to seeing more events like this in the future, and to continuing to support the growth of women-owned businesses.
If you're interested in learning more about any of the companies mentioned above, be sure to check out their websites and social media pages. By supporting these women-owned businesses, we can help them grow and make a positive impact on their industries and communities.
