Enthuse Foundation Showcases Women CPG Founders at Annual Pitch Competition

Enthuse Foundation Showcases Women CPG Founders at Annual Pitch Competition

$70K in Cash and Prizes Awarded at Brand New Event Space in NYC

NEW YORK, NY – November 20, 2024 - The Enthuse Foundation, a non-profit organization investing in a new generation of women entrepreneurs and cultivating the next generation of business leaders, held its 6th Annual Women Founders Pitch Competition on November 14, 2024, at The Town Hall by Skylight in the Penn District of New York City. The competition was simulcast virtually to a nationwide audience and included a marketplace of 15 different women-owned brands including the five finalists.

Five women founders, selected from more than 320 applications, pitched their businesses to a panel of judges vying for cash and other business-building prizes. The winners included:

• Grand Prize - $35,000 prize value: Unbothered Foods, Chicago, IL, Founder: Morgan Murdock. Unbothered Foods, a dietitian-founded, gut-friendly sourdough cracker brand, won $15,000 in cash, 20 hours of in-kind services from Enthuse, a one-year virtual membership to Luminary, access to Hummingbirds user-generated content platform, a social media package from SeeFood Media, a one-year Learning Pass from EmergeCPG, a brand and sales building program helping emerging CPG founders grow sustainably and profitably, and a one-hour coaching call with Kelly Anne Parker, the Founder of Send Ribbon (acquired by UrbanStems).

“I’m honored and shocked to win the 6th Annual Enthuse Foundation Pitch Competition,” Murdock said. “The Enthuse Foundation Pitch Competition is unique in the variety of prizes offered including in-kind services from Enthuse. Thank you so much Enthuse and the Enthuse Foundation for putting in the effort to support women entrepreneurs.”

·       Runner-Up - $25,000 prize value:  JONI, Brooklyn, NY Founder: Claire Matern. JONI, a verjus based sparkling non-alcoholic canned drink, won $10,000 in cash, 20 hours of in-kind services from Enthuse, access to Hummingbirds user-generated content platform, a one-year Learning Pass from EmergeCPG, a brand and sales building program helping emerging CPG founders grow sustainably and profitably, and a one-hour coaching call with Kelly Anne Parker, the Founder of Send Ribbon (acquired by UrbanStems).

“I’ve been part of the Enthuse Foundation community for more than two years and to be named runner up at the 2024 Pitch Competition is so special,”Matern said. “The Enthuse Foundation was one of the first believers of JONI. I’ve taken advantage of all the services provided by the organization including feedback sessions, webinars, in-person meetups and a sampling opportunity at a corporate partner. The Enthuse Foundation has been such an important part of my entrepreneurial journey, and I’m so excited for the next chapter in my involvement.”

·       Audience Choice - $6,000 value: Private Packs, Brooklyn, NY, Founder: Suzanne Sinatra.  Private Packs, makes ergonomic, body-safe hot and cold therapy packs designed to relieve intimate discomfort with its first product addressing vulvovaginal pain, won $3,000 in cash and access to Hummingbirds user-generated content platform.

The finalists included To Be Honest Beverage Co. a brand that offers elevated non-alcoholic hemp infused spirit alternatives to replace the liquor or alcohol in crafted cocktails, founded by Michelle Houston, and NEOTEIN, a patent-pending electrolyte and protein drink mix, founded by Cherissa Kell.

Also, at the Pitch Competition, a brand-new grant was announced in partnership with Kendra Scott SoHo and b2bkp by Kelly Anne Parker. The Entrepreneurial Spirit Award valued at $2,500 was presented to Dr. Corrie Amos, founder of The Spice Theory for her grit, perseverance, and hustle.

Since its inception, the Enthuse Foundation has given $250,000 cash and in-kind services to women-owned businesses through its pitch competition and grant initiative.  

The Pitch Competition would not be possible without the generous support of its sponsors and in-kind sponsors, including illycaffè, 21Seeds, 1919 Investment Counsel, The Alera Group, Alliant Insurance Services, Citrin Cooperman, Cross Agency, Fidelity Investment, Kendra Scott, Enthuse, Stakt, Webster Bank, BrandSpoken, Cheeky Cocktails, Hummingbirds, See Food Media, b2bkp by Kelly Anne Parker, and Luminary.

The Enthuse Foundation invests in a new generation of women founders and cultivates the next generation of business leaders. It is a non-profit organization serving women entrepreneurs through community, education, and capital. Learn more.