CAMBA’s Small Business Services helps aspiring entrepreneurs and existing business owners plan and reach their goals through one-on-one consultations, business plan workshops, start-up or expansion loans, and technology training. Our recent “Pitch Competition” attracted start-up entrepreneurs and gave them the opportunity to pitch their visions of success to a panel of accomplished business professionals. Our thanks to Marie Pedraza at HSBC, Ragini Bhuyan from Capital One, and Christopher Auguste from Kramer Levin — our three judges.
This year’s competition was held via Zoom and included 13 participants in the first round with five finalists moving on to the second round. Many of the participants had taken advantage of our “Pitch Your Business” workshop which provided guidance and support on how to provide a compelling description of their business within 60 seconds. This made it difficult to choose finalists and winners as everyone pitched really well!
Christine Yarde took First Place ($500 prize) for Sisters 3 Tea. Christine’s company manufactures a healthy, natural, low sugar bottled iced tea option to be sold in local retail stores, targeting low income communities in Brooklyn with a future expansion to the other four boroughs of NYC. Keep on the lookout for this wonderful tea.
Micky Weiner came in second ($250 prize) for Petal + Ash. Micky’s company designs women’s sustainable and eco-friendly lingerie stained by fruits and flowers instead of chemicals. Launching in 2021, make a note to visit the website in the months to come. https://www.petalandash.com
Third place ($100) went to Michi Kanno for Sloth Bucket that licenses puzzles designed in Japan. Michi’s target market includes individuals with dementia as these puzzles have been proven to help with their memory and enhancing cognitive functions and problem solving techniques we use in everyday life. Interested? Please visit https://slobucket.com