The 2021 EPIC VentureWomen Program wrapped up on July 8th, 2021. Since early March, seven women changemakers had the opportunity to engage in several activities, events, and virtual learning opportunities that included several workshops, networking events, team building exercises, and much more. Over the course of the program, each team also received 1:1 coaching with our Entrepreneur’s in Residence and Expert Advisory Team.
At the end of the program, each venture had the opportunity to pitch their business idea to a panel of judges and LIVE audience. Two awards, sponsored by the Lucas Imagine Fund, were available to the presenting teams:
- Top Pitch Award: $3,000
- People’s Choice Award: $1,000
Our Final Pitch Judging Panel welcomed:
- Kavaughn Boismier, Chief Financial Officer, WaveDirect & President and Founder of the Women of Windsor Mentorship Collaborative
- Lee McGrath, Women Entrepreneurship Strategy Program Director, Invest WindsorEssex
- Mojdeh Cox, Executive Director, Pillar Nonprofit Network
Congratulations to Sarah Heafling, Founder of Elevate Podcast Co. for winning the Top Pitch Award. Her business is a podcast agency focused on helping entrepreneurs and businesses have their voice heard and elevate their brand by supporting, launching, and growing podcasts. Check out Sarah’s Final Pitch Video from the Final Pitch Competition here.
The People’s Choice Award was awarded to Carla Bragança, Co-Founder of Bazar Brazil, a family-owned business that operates as an online grocery store to target the Windsor-Essex region, that offers a wide variety of Brazilian products and brands, with the best quality available. Check out Carla’s Final Pitch Video from the Final Pitch Competition here.
Thank you to everyone who helped to make our third cohort of EPIC VentureWomen such a great success.
Watch the entire VentureWomen Final Pitch Competition here.
The EPIC VentureWomen Program is in proud collaboration with RISE Windsor Essex and funded by FedDev Ontario.