Local Voices
Entrepreneur-YOU Venture Funding Awarded to Nine Women-Owned Businesses
A crowd of about 75 people witnessed the business pitches of 15 women at Walsh College today in the second annual Entrepreneur-YOU competition for $75,000 in venture funding donated by Huntington Bank, The Ford Motor Company Fund and The Kellogg Foundation.
Winners were selected by a panel of judges including Nancy Phillippart, general partner of Belle Michigan; Maria Thompson, founder of T/J Technologies and executive-in-residence of Arsenal Venture Partners; Sonali Vijayavargia, founder and managing director Augment Ventures; Beverly Wall, CEO, Languages International; and Mallory Sharpe of The Ford Motor Company Fund.
The competitors were grouped in three categories – Lifestyle companies; social mission companies and high growth companies. More than 150 ventures were submitted to the competition, reviewed by business professionals, who selected the 15 finalists. The finalists prepared written business plans and presented a four-minute pitch before the judges in the final competition.
Find out what's happening in Troywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Following are the winners and their prizes:
Lifestyle
Find out what's happening in Troywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
1st place Garden Hoard, Katie Flickinger, Livonia $10,000
2nd place Ribbon Farms Hops, Susan McCabe, Detroit $7,500
3rd place Teatroiter, Kristen Pfeifer, Dearborn $5,000
Social Mission
1st place CentriCycle, Jenna Boeing, Ann Arbor $10,000
2nd place Play Place for Autistic Children, Shell Jones, Sterling Heights $7,500
3rd place SEVA Corp. Shwetha Maddur, Novi $5,000
High Growth
1st ENT BioTech Solutions, Andrea Roumell Dickson, Detroit $15,000
2nd place Opti 02, Ruby Ghosh, Okemos $10,000
3rd place AdAdapted, Molly McFarland, Ann Arbor $5,000
The third annual Entrepreneur-YOU education conference is scheduled for Thursday, February 13, 2014 at the Walsh College Troy Campus. Visit www.thewalshinstitute.com/eyou for more information.
Entrepreneur-YOU is a program of women helping women launch and grow businesses through the collaborative efforts of four organizations – Michigan Women’s Foundation, Inforum Michigan, Huntington Bank and Walsh College.
CONTACTS:
Brenda Meller, Walsh College, 248-823-1205, bmeller@walshcollege.edu
Lynne Golodner, Your People, 248-376-0406, lynne@yourppl.com
Carolyn Cassin, Michigan Women’s Foundation, 313.962.1920 x200, ccassin@miwf.org
