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Each season, we host a pitch competition for the community members of Selfmade, Brit + Co’s hands-on business membership and mentoring program for female business owners. What does it entail, exactly? A select group of founders are given just two minutes to present their elevator pitch and tell their business’ story to Selfmade coaches. This is surely no small feat, but the positive energy that flows from the other business-minded women attending the virtual event really empowers the presenters – and TBH, it’s pretty magical.
The 10 finalists we saw for this summer’s competition dedicated so much of their time to developing their business and fine-tuning their presentations before they even began pitching. Being members of Selfmade, they’ve had unique opportunities to attend weekly workshops, earn scholarships, take educational courses, join expert-led cohorts, have 1:1 mentor calls, and of course, tap into the Selfmade community (of over 3,500 women!) to propel their ventures. Here are this year's winners of the Selfmade summer pitch competition!
Meet The Winners
Coming in first was Melissa Scott with Modefywear. Her versatile clothing brand serves women who dress in traditional garments (mainly Muslim, observant Jewish, and Indian women) or prefer to embrace modest fashion. Most notably, the unique designs are compatible with cellphones, earbuds, hearing aids, and more.
Pallavi Pande with Dtocs won second place. Spearheading the sustainable dinnerware brand, Pande's products employ palm leaves to create plates, straws, bowls, and more that are much friendlier to the environment than traditional, single-use plasticware.
Aurora Diaz won third place with The Jefas, an up-and-coming e-commerce platform tailored to Latina consumers and Latina beauty brands. Diaz's mission is to bring Latina beauty and makeup products to the forefront in an effort to make others like her feel more seen in the mainstream.
Our Other Finalists
- Ana’jah McKnight-Odoms / AMO Consulting
- Felicia Bradley / Cocoa & Onyx
- Felicia Wright / Mygani
- Lauren Teague / FANWAGN
- Lauren Walker / The Childbirth Circle
- Stephanie Blanchard / Artisan Joy
- Tameka Christmas / The Mama Wellness Foundation
40% of U.S. businesses are female-owned, and women receive just 1.9% of venture funds to be able to hit the ground running. As a resource for founders, Selfmade wants to change that and provide more opportunities. If you’re looking to grow your biz, join our amazing Selfmade community, and watch it flourish!
Lead photo by Karolina Grabowska / PEXELS.
