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Female-owned Businesses Perfectly Imperfect Produce and Augment Therapy share $25K in NEO Business Pitch Competition

Renée DeLuca Dolan, Founder, FES

Ashley Weingart, First Place Recipient, $25,000

Lindsay Watson, Runner Up Recipient, $5,000

It’s so gratifying to support Northeast Ohio female business owners and entrepreneurs in this way”
— Renée Deluca Dolan, President and Founder of Contempo
CLEVELAND, OHIO, UNITED STATES, October 31, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Female Entrepreneur Summit (FES) held a pitch competition for women entrepreneurs in Northeast Ohio to compete for a total of $25,000 in cash prizes. Since its inception in 2012, the Female Entrepreneur Summit (FES) has awarded over $50,000 to help women owned businesses scale and grow in Northeast Ohio.

This year, its founder, Renée Deluca Dolan had reached out to her personal and professional network to receive donations totaling $25,000 from local professionals and businesses to support the 2020 FES Pitch Competition.

Six finalists were selected from a large pool of applicants and participated in a virtual pitch on October 21. Each finalist presented her business and growth intentions to a panel of judges, which consisted of FES Pitch donors and entrepreneurs.

After much thought and deliberation, Ashley Weingart of Perfectly Imperfect Produce was awarded the top $20,000 prize. Lindsay Watson with Augment Therapy was presented the runner-up prize of $5,000. A celebratory announcement was made via livestream at the Female Entrepreneur Summit Wednesday, October 28.

The judges noted that this year’s winners provided a unique approach to solving a market need.

FIRST PRIZE WINNER:
Ashley Weingart, Perfectly Imperfect Produce Perfectly Imperfect Produce https://www.perfectlyimperfectproduce.com
Recognizing the opportunity to save perfectly good food from landfills, Ashley Weingart created Perfectly Imperfect Produce, a direct-to-consumer sales channel for fresh produce with slight cosmetic imperfections. The company acquires fruits and vegetables from local farms and suppliers, repacks it in subscription boxes and delivers it to homes/offices throughout Ohio. A box of food is donated to a family in need with every purchase.

Ashley plans to utilize the pitch funds to launch a new meal kit product line. The meal kits will capitalize on slicing and preparing the produce, which will differentiate her product in the marketplace.

RUNNER UP WINNER:
Augment Therapy, Lindsay Watson www.augmenttherapy.com
Augment Therapy was discovered by Lindsay Watson as a way to engage in important healing exercises and motivate kids by using augmented reality and interactive software. It can be used in clinical settings, the home and the office as a motivational tool, progress tracker and exercise prompt for children needing therapeutic exercise.

Augment Therapy’s goal moving forward is to create more awareness. Lindsay plans to utilize the funding to create video and marketing content that tells the stories of the people using and benefiting from their software.

The other finalists included:
Jessica Davis, Rebuilders Xchange (RBX) www.rbxhub.com
After recognizing a market for reclaimed business materials, Jessica Davis discovered Rebuilders Xchange (RBX) as a retail hub for building components and architectural salvage. The company manages an online and physical marketplace for the buying and selling of materials such as flooring, lighting, HVAC, cabinets, etc. It currently operates on a consignment model to connect contractors with the public.

Chelsea Monty-Bromer, RooSense www.roosense.com
RooSense, a consumer diagnostics company, was developed by Chelsea Monty-Bromer to transform the way athletes train, and push them to reach their peak performance. A lightweight wearable sensor, RooSense is a proprietary non-woven fabric and integrating sensing materials that provides its wearer with important feedback about both health and performance. It can also monitor hydration in workers and infants exposed to dry, heat-heavy environments.

Aya Schlachter, MGS Global Group www.mgsglobalgroup.com
Aya Schlachter founded MGS Global Group in 2005, and it’s since become a global company that offers architectural support, graphics production support and design professional consulting services in multiple industries, including retail, residential and hospitality.

Kendra Valton and Gina VanCant, The Milk Mission www.themilkmission.com
Sisters Kendra Valton and Gina VanCant founded The Milk Mission to support mothers and children in the African American community who don’t have enough access to breastfeeding resources and maternal wellness education. The company is a research and telehealth platform that offers online breastfeeding classes, lactation e-consultants and other breastfeeding products.

This competition was made possible with support from generous donors: Renée DeLuca Dolan, President of Contempo Design + Communications (http://www.contempocleveland.com/); David M. Ciccarelli, Financial Advisor and Director of Business Development for Lifetime Financial Growth; Lucy Fanger, CEO of On Technology Partners; Donna M. Heffernan, CPA, Heffernan & Associates Inc.; Y’llon Herron, Small Business Underwriting Leader for Westfield Insurance; Amy Jenyk; and Lorne Novick, Senior Partner and Services & Deal Flow Management for JumpStart.

Geauga Growth Partners served as the fiscal sponsor for the competition by accepting the donations and processing the funds.

DeLuca Dolan said that the pitch competition will return next year for the Female Entrepreneur Summit’s 10th Anniversary. “It’s so gratifying to support Northeast Ohio female business owners and entrepreneurs in this way. As an entrepreneur, I understand how hard it can be to raise capital to grow and scale. These women are inspiring and all of the entries were impressive,” she said.

ABOUT CONTEMPO DESIGN + COMMUNICATIONS
Founded in 1996 by Renée DeLuca Dolan, the company is a full-service design and communications firm providing visual branding, environmental graphic design and digital creative for businesses and organizations throughout Northeast Ohio. Contempo Design + Communications is the official design partner of the Cleveland Indians. Find out more at www.contempocleveland.com
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Madeline Duncan
Contempo Design + Communications
+1 216-831-9557
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