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Five young Black women entrepreneurs between the ages of 16 and 25 pitch their businesses for the chance to win thousands of dollars in funding.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Welcome to the Making Moves Now pitch competition brought to you by McDonald's Black
00:10and Positively Golden Movement, an initiative designed to provide opportunities for the next
00:16generation of leaders. So in just a few minutes, you'll hear five phenomenal young women
00:21entrepreneurs tell our judges all about their businesses for the chance to become one of two
00:27winners who will each take home not $1,000, not $5,000, but $10,000 in funding to help them
00:36take things to the next level. Plus, each of today's winners will also receive business coaching
00:41from New Voices Foundation to support them launching or growing their businesses. As a matter
00:48of fact, let's go ahead and meet these amazing entrepreneurs. First up, we have Maya Kane,
00:55co-founder of Myve Fashion. We have Lachey Green, founder of Soulbite. We have Sashay Robs,
01:02co-founder of Three Athletics. We have Brandy Merriweather, founder of Beastar PR. And last
01:10but not least, we have Janice Newsome, co-founder of Lillian Augusta Hair Company. All right,
01:17let's get into our judges' introductions. The women who are going to have the difficult
01:22task of picking our winners today. First up, we have Mrs. Marissa Fisher, representing the McDonald's
01:28Black and Positively Golden Movement. Marissa is a second-generation owner and operator of four
01:34McDonald's restaurants in Southeast Louisiana and partner of Jamdramar Inc., the managing company
01:40for 30 McDonald's locations in Michigan and Louisiana. Welcome, Marissa.
01:46Thank you for having me. Our next lovely judge is Ms. Jaysa Miner, representing the New Voices Fund.
01:55Jaysa serves on the investment team for the New Voices Fund, where she helps deploy more than $50
02:02million to early-stage companies founded by women of color. Welcome, Jaysa.
02:07It's great to be here. Thanks for the intro.
02:10No doubt. And on to this third and final judge, who may look a little familiar to y'all, because
02:17it's me. I am an actress and co-host of the Webby Award-winning podcast, Dead Ass,
02:23with Kadeen and DeVal. I also co-star on our social sitcom on YouTube called The Ellises,
02:29and I'm a proud graduate of Hofstra University. All right, now I am so excited. It is that time,
02:36y'all. It is time to get into these pitches, and kicking things off for us is our first entrepreneur,
02:42Maya Kane. Hi, my name is Maya Kane, and I'm the co-founder of Mive. Ladies, we have all felt the
02:50frustration of buying a clothing item online and it arriving not as expected. The lack of useful
02:56product reviews and site models not reflecting real bodies make it hard for us to make that
03:01competent purchase. This leads to wasted time and money on returns, which this year are at a record
03:07high. My twin sister and I felt these frustrations in college and since we dedicated ourselves to
03:13craft a solution that takes the headache out of online shopping. Meet Mive. Mive is an intelligent
03:20and inclusive fashion marketplace that helps women shop best for their bodies online in the absence of
03:26a traditional fitting room. Our app delivers an unbeatable shopping experience,
03:31by helping you choose the right size and curate the perfect look. With just two pictures,
03:37we use our augmented reality measuring tape to capture over 100 measurements to gain a full
03:43understanding of your unique body. So when you shop in the Mive marketplace of contemporary brands,
03:49all product photos are pre-populated with photo reviews by women closest to your size and shape,
03:55allowing you to easily gauge fit and quality before you buy. For example, Kadeen,
04:00Jaysa, and Marissa, imagine searching for a jumpsuit and for every product in your search,
04:06you see a woman with a similar body profile wearing each item. When you click into the item,
04:11you can see more comprehensive reviews. Mive goes beyond the five-star rating and prompts all users
04:18to leave descriptive and useful reviews better than any fashion retailer. We also reward shoppers who leave
04:25reviews to encourage every woman to do so. In addition to sizing, Mive allows you to create occasion-specific
04:32boards where you can add items and orient the full outfit with our drag-and-drop outfit canvas. You can
04:39create these by yourself or with friends. Whether it's a new work wardrobe or an upcoming girls trip,
04:45Mive allows you to organize and visualize your looks, enabling curation and collaboration all in one place.
04:52All in all, our user experience is built around eradicating returns and making online shopping fun
04:59and delightful for women. Unlike other fashion marketplaces, Mive provides community, social
05:05shopping, and reviews at scale, revolutionizing the way women shop online. Mive is able to stay lean and go
05:12fast and focus on new efficiencies without real estate and store labor of our competitors. This allows us to
05:18scale quickly with little overhead costs. We make money from fashion brands by collecting 15% of each
05:24item sold on our platform and offer sponsored promotions and advanced analytics. Winning this
05:29competition would help fund our beta testing program ahead of our launch to the App Store. Thank you for
05:34your consideration and please know that investment in Mive is an investment for a new foundation for fashion in a
05:40post-COVID world. Thank you. Oh my goodness. Listen, Maya, thank you for that. I mean, it was so well delivered,
05:48so well thought out. So I want to bring our judges in to give you some feedback so they can see if they
05:54have any questions or any further insight into Mive. Thank you, Kadeen. I heard you say you're still in beta
06:00testing. What would you then, after coming out of beta testing, how are you going to market Mive?
06:08Yeah, so our go-to-market strategy after our beta testing program is tapping into like micro-influencers. Also, we're
06:17going to have all the brands that are going to be selling on Mive. We're going to create partner assets. So if BCBG or Aerie
06:25are going to be selling on Mive, we have some joint marketing material that they can push to their
06:29user base to encourage them for their users to shop on Mive. So it's going to be really us doing a lot
06:36of grassroots social media influencing, but also tapping into the larger markets of our brand partners.
06:43Thank you so much, Maya, for giving us a little more insight into your company. So very well thought
06:48out. Such a great idea. So thank you for that. Good luck to you. All right, Lachey of Soul Buy.
06:54Tell me a little bit more about Soul Bites, all right? Because it's almost lunch, it's almost
06:57dinner time over here. Imagine this. Sweet potato pie filling, singing of notes of nutmeg and cinnamon,
07:06which is then scooped and coated in graham cracker crumbs, fried to golden perfection, and served with a
07:14drizzle of freshly made caramel sauce and whipped cream. You would be tasting an old favorite, a new
07:21new way in just one bite. And these sweet potato pie bites are just one of many menu items changing
07:29what we know about soul food. Hi, everyone. My name is Lachey Bernice Green, and I am the creator of
07:36Soul Bites. Soul Bites is a gourmet food truck concept that will serve contemporary versions of classic
07:42African-American comfort foods. With there being an abundance of Hispanic, Caribbean, and Middle Eastern
07:49fare, Soul Bites will serve as a solution that fulfills the Bronx New York community's soul food appetite.
07:56The mission of Soul Bites is to be the future of tradition by celebrating the rich heritage of Black
08:03culture, creating an experience that honors Southern cuisine and hospitality, and contributes to the
08:09empowerment of the Black community through the serving of our contemporary soul food. Soul Bites will
08:15have a product line that features soul food with a modern-day twist, which includes a contemporary
08:21interpretation of classic African-American comfort food, as well as versions of soul food dishes for
08:27those with dietary restrictions served in smaller bite-sized portions. Desserts, non-alcoholic, and alcoholic
08:35drinks will also be featured. With food trucks estimated to have brought in $1 billion in revenue across
08:42America, Soul Bites will contribute to this revenue stream with financial projections forecasting annual
08:49revenue of over $300,000. With low startup costs, this food truck concept is sure to be a profitable
08:57business opportunity. The business model would consist of community selling and over time would expand
09:03to include collaborations with various outdoor event and festival vendors in this time of COVID, as well
09:11as securing government contracts to cater any of their affairs as a New York State certified minority
09:17woman-owned business enterprise. Upon perfecting this business model, we hope to franchise a Soul Bites brand
09:25to include additional food trucks as well as brick and mortar locations throughout New York City. It is our hope
09:32to earn additional financing through grants, crowdfunding, pitch competitions such as this, as well as use
09:38personal savings to cover the total cost of this venture, so that one day you'll be taking a bite out of
09:44our Soul Bites. Thank you. All right Lachey, thank you so much for that. Now listen, me being a native New Yorker,
09:52I know all about that food truck life. I mean, you totally have my mouth watering over here. But being
09:57that I'm from New York and I understand the dense population and food trucks being a hot commodity out
10:03there, what do you think makes your food truck in particular different and unique from the other brands
10:09that are out there? My plan is to make sure that I'm staying ahead of everyone else, staying innovative,
10:16creating new recipes, having interesting ingredients that are new to soul food, and incorporating into all the
10:24older cuisines that we know and love. I do have a question for Lachey. I, you know, food, it's right up my
10:32wheelhouse. You know, I know really as an entrepreneur, as a restaurant owner, how difficult it is for new
10:40entrepreneurs to, you know, get their businesses off the ground. So tell me, you know, with Soul Bites,
10:48how are you going to drum up a following? So my number one goal is to first start in my community.
10:57I'm going out to those different events that we have, especially during this time, there's going to
11:01be a lot of outdoor things going on. So participating in those events, also building a following on social
11:08media, making sure people see all these beautiful pictures of my food, getting them interested and
11:13saying, Oh, that looks good. I have to go get some. So that's my goal to get people to see it. And once
11:19they see it and try it, I know I'll have returning customers. All right, Lachey, thank you so much for
11:24giving us insight into Soul Bites Girl. Next time I'm in New York, hopefully you have things up and running
11:29by then so I can stop by and take a visit. So thank you, Lachey. And for our third entrepreneur,
11:35we have Miss Sashay Robbs. We are excited to hear more about Three Athletics. So whenever you're
11:42ready, ma'am, take it away. Yes, I'm excited to tell you. My name is Sashay Robbs from Atlanta,
11:47Georgia, owner of Three Athletics. Three Athletics is an elite performance wear line that provides high
11:52quality, affordable athletic wear to the everyday active family. We offer products such as yoga tops,
11:58bottoms, compression, maternity, and other workout accessories and apparel. Three Athletics was
12:03also created to bring awareness on the importance of maintaining a healthy, positive lifestyle.
12:08We know that we are in a very critical time and so many families are currently stuck in the home
12:12due to the pandemic, which has made a huge challenge for families to get to the gyms or sporting events.
12:18So we've teamed up with vendors like Hello Juicy, an organic fruit and vegetable vendor based out of
12:22Atlanta, Georgia. We also have goals to host our annual 5k run starting summer of 2021 and our annual
12:29health fairs in our community. Winning the pitch competition would give us such a huge platform
12:33and give us an opportunity to make the change that we need in our communities. Move with us as we stand
12:38together in the fight to a healthier you. One of our biggest projects that we are working on right now
12:43is Move. Move is our annual 5k that we'll be hosting starting in summer 2021. We will use the funds to cover
12:50costs such as insurance, court certifications, permits, equipment, tables, tents, shirts, and any other
12:57unexpected expenses that will come with such a large event. We'll also use those funds to hire
13:02employees such as product managers, event coordinators, customer service representatives,
13:08and accountants. Winning the pitch competition will also give us an opportunity to donate to
13:13charities. One of our prospective charities is a charity in our community. So we just hope that you
13:19guys move with us in the fight to a better life and a healthier lifestyle.
13:22All right, Marissa and Jaysa, do you guys have any questions or feedback for Sashay?
13:28My question is around your manufacturing process. For your apparel, can you speak to how you're
13:33currently doing that and how the money that you receive can potentially help you get there?
13:37Yes, manufacturing-wise right now we have several vendors. Right now we are actually out of pocket with
13:45the funding for the product, but we're making it work. We're making it stretch.
13:49So that would definitely be, like I said, we need a product manager. So we need someone and an
13:54accountant to be able to help us with getting the products together and making sure that our
13:59accounts are balanced and making sure that we are not pulling from areas that we can't afford to pull
14:05from and be able to place money where we need to. Thank you so much for that, Sashay. Now listen,
14:11I love that you're encompassing the whole family here, so I have to make sure that I have matching
14:15outfits for my boys and my husband. Thank you so much for your pitch. It was amazing and good luck to
14:20you. Thank you. Alrighty, up next let's hear from Miss Brandy of B-Star PR. Brandy, thank you for
14:28joining us today. So we want to jump right into this pitch and it's on you whenever you're ready.
14:34Have you ever been told you were too dark, too proper, too loud, too proud, or too young?
14:42Growing up, I've heard all of these things. As a dark-skinned Black girl, I grew up thinking
14:47I was five shades different than I was. Due to the comments, matching makeup is still difficult to
14:53this day because the way I view my skin is not how others do. This is why I created B-Star PR.
14:59There's a clear problem if we can't look in the mirror and see what is reality. Reality is Black women
15:06are the most unprotected, unappreciated, and over-sexualized human beings, but about 15% of
15:13the U.S. population. That's enough percent to build some of the largest corporations. We are powerful
15:19beyond measure, but why is it that to feel valued in this world, we have to constantly recreate the
15:26perception of us? As a college student, we get more marketed to than supported. Throughout quarantine,
15:34we've seen the viral dances, Savage Challenge, and Renegade. Many of us know the dances but don't know,
15:41didn't know, the Black girl creators. After months of seeing others booked to perform her dance,
15:47Kiara Wilson decided to utilize B-Star PR to help her leverage her brand, voice, and skill. We created
15:54the foundation to aid Kiara in lasting success. From 10 plus media placements, three brand deals,
16:01TV appearances, verification on TikTok, and entry into the creator marketplace, 300k to a million
16:09followers, and a packaged EPK, 19-year-old Kiara is now successfully signed to an agency where she'll be
16:16able to take care of her family for the rest of her life. This is just one of the many examples of the
16:22solutions we provide our clients. B-Star PR is unique to the public relations and marketing service market
16:29because we are young. We know what we want to see. Our insight and perspective of the target market,
16:35business, and entertainment industry makes us best in class. It is hard to put a price on impact,
16:43but we have formed a pay system allowing our clients to pay monthly retainers based on the
16:49deliverable set. B-Star PR's pathway to increase profitability is to increase our internal resources
16:57and team. We have, we never want to over promise and under deliver. So after winning the making the
17:04moves pitch competition, we would have enough internal resources. This will aid us in continuing to
17:10accomplish many great things, including the ultimate goal of aiding young college students
17:14interested in PR transition into PR professionals with paid hands-on experience. With the recent pandemic,
17:21many companies are forced to creatively market to college students. B-Star PR is proud to announce
17:29that we are currently in works with the Revlon company on an upcoming TikTok campaign. They value
17:35our insight and have chosen us to help with their sound curation, which is the foundation to a successful
17:41TikTok campaign. Investing in B-Star PR is like investing in a solution to clean a dirty mirror.
17:48We are only aiding in a more clear reflection. The impact of the world, truly seeing how great
17:54we are as young Black people can really create lots of change. This will create a system, a generational
18:02impact where even our children will be empowered, reassured, and confident. We have voices, stories,
18:10and accomplishments that must be shared. Thank you. Brandy, correct me if I'm wrong, because I don't
18:19want to be wrong in this, but, and I don't want to really see you limit yourself, but why only late
18:26millennials and Gen Z? Because we are market to the most. In my opinion, we're on social media the most,
18:32the advertisements are there, and sometimes we're not in reflection of that. And that's where I see the
18:39main problem at being. I think once marketed to, you know, older demographic, at that point in life,
18:47they've already targeted what companies that they want to consume and utilize. And I think the Gen Z,
18:54late millennial, we're, we spend the most money one. We're still working on, you know, holding our
19:00dollar in and figuring out where we would like to spend it, but also we're still being introduced. We
19:05still have that, we're still open to being introduced to new brands and figuring out where we want our
19:13dollar to be. Brandy, thank you so much for such a well-thought-out pitch. We have so much more
19:19insight into your company, and I think this is just going to make our deliberation process for all of
19:25these young women that much more difficult. And closing out today's pitches, we have Miss Janice
19:30Newsome of Lillian Augusta Hair Company. Go ahead and take it away. Lillian Augusta, where we are
19:38revolutionizing the Black hair care industry by offering hair without harm. Now, I vividly remember
19:45the first time I wore braids because I could feel the problem. My scalp was itchy, my skin started to break out,
19:52and my neck was sore. I always thought, well, maybe the problem's just me. But the problem is actually
19:58the hair. Synthetic braiding hair is made from chemical-laden plastics. It's potentially cancerous
20:04material and causes the discomfort that I and many other Black women experience when wearing braids.
20:10To top it all off, this hair is bad for the environment, contributing to the ongoing issue of
20:15plastic pollution. This discomfort and waste should not have to happen, and it won't, thanks to our
20:22solution of hair made by Black women and for Black women. We are changing the braiding hair experience
20:28by making hair that is safe for you and the environment. Our plant-based braiding hair is
20:33made with sustainability and your well-being in mind. Plant-based braiding hair is lightweight,
20:39toxin-free, and makes for a much more comfortable experience when wearing braids. And plus, plant-based
20:45braiding hair is environmentally friendly. We will be selling our plant-based braiding hair direct to
20:51consumer via e-commerce, similar to other braiding hair brands, all while creating a much better
20:56experience for Black women wearing braids. The Black hair care industry is valued at $2.5 billion,
21:03and Black women worldwide wear braids. Now, the competition is doing very little to address the
21:09suite of issues that come with braiding hair. And they simply can't connect to our customers like we can,
21:15as Black women founders. We have first-hand experience with the same pain points that
21:20our customers experience when wearing braids. But not only that, we're scientists. We have
21:26backgrounds in biology and ecology, giving us a comprehensive understanding of plant systems
21:31and plant characteristics. To date, we have multiple versions of our plant-based braiding hair,
21:37a provisional patent, and we are in conversations with a number of manufacturers to prepare for our launch.
21:43We've seen some press coverage from Blavity and some other media outlets on our endeavors.
21:48We recently completed the Galvanizer Accelerator out of Stanford University,
21:52and we are currently in the Desai Accelerator out of the University of Michigan.
21:56Our full product launch is scheduled for August of 2021, with targeting Midwestern cities for our
22:02first customers. And this funding will accelerate our launch and expand our audience.
22:07We know that Black women are going to continue wearing these hairstyles. We just want to ensure
22:12these styles are safe for us and the environment. First off, fantastic pitch. I really enjoyed listening
22:19to you describe how you've been hands-on in the manufacturing and design process. Extremely admirable,
22:25particularly in a space like this where you're putting your own hair to the test and getting this product to the market.
22:31So my question for you is really around retail opportunities. As you expand, do you see yourself
22:37going into retail channels and what would that look like for you?
22:41Yes, we would love to expand into beauty supply stores and possibly even beyond that making braiding
22:47hair more accessible in a number of other places where beauty supply stores may not be abundant,
22:52such as in college towns, it's hard to find a beauty supply store. So if we can get our hair into other outlets,
22:59that would be amazing. Thank you to you ladies for all of those amazing presentations.
23:05My fellow judges, we really have our work cut out for us today. I think everyone really just blew us
23:11away. So we're going to have a tough job ahead, but we are definitely down and we are game. So stick
23:17around for our winners. All right, judges panel, are y'all ready to deliberate? We've heard all of these
23:25wonderful pitches. I feel like with each one that passed, I was like, oh no, that's the one. Oh no,
23:30that's the one. So tell me some, what you're thinking right now. Do you have any particular
23:36favorites? One thing that I really loved with Lillian Augusta is how they got so hands-on and
23:43involved in the development of their products and really went through an experimentation process and
23:49were able to take that formula that they developed to a manufacturer and have it be developed from
23:55their own experience in their own hands. So that was something that really stood out to me because that
24:02shows a deep level of investment and time and energy into that process from sourcing to
24:09MVP. So I was really impressed by their work there.
24:14I thought mine was very kind of different and unique as well. Being an avid online shopper,
24:20typically I like to go to reviews regardless of what I'm shopping for. If it's clothing, if it's a
24:24trip, a hotel, I like to rely on the reviews because you want that personal person to tell you what it
24:30was really like and not have to rely on just marketing campaigns and beautiful pictures and
24:35models who have the perfect shape and the perfect figure. So I feel like they had a really nice idea with
24:42having this app where women can really get feedback from real women about how certain products may fit.
24:48Marissa, how do you feel about Soul Bites? Seeing as though food is your industry,
24:51I'm curious to know after you heard her entire pitch and got to kind of absorb everything,
24:57what do you think about Soul Bites? I really liked her idea around Soul Bites
25:01and bringing a different look to Soul Food. My concern though was, you know, with the food trucks,
25:09how can she be, I don't know, nimble in her thinking? Because how, I don't know, big events
25:16may not, that may be something of the past. I don't know. And what does it look like as far as,
25:22I mean, I think about McDonald's, we're having to tap into that delivery space. So what does it
25:28really look like the future for food trucks? That was the first thing I thought about.
25:33How are you guys feeling about Beast RPR? I mean, I think she's on the right track.
25:37I love her personality. I think that she has such big energy and confidence,
25:41and the way that she exudes that is so valuable for the space that she's going to be in,
25:45because she's leveraging her youth as her competitive advantage. And I think that that's
25:49going to take her really far. Three athletics, one of her major selling points was not just the
25:55apparel side of things, but also being in the community, putting together 5k runs, raising money,
26:01charities and all that good stuff. I know she talked a lot about the 5k
26:06event, the run. And it sounded like that's what the funds would be utilized for.
26:10It's nice to be on a, on a panel of judges where we seem to pretty much align on really
26:15seeing eye to eye here. Thank you so much, ladies. It was a pleasure judging with you.
26:22Thank you. Thank you. Welcome back ladies. Listen, I don't know if y'all are nervous,
26:28but I'm over here. Like my palms are sweating as if this was like me about to win some sort of
26:34competition, but that just goes to show that it was a very difficult choice for us. First of all,
26:38I want to thank you all for being such innovative, fearless leaders who are continuing to set such
26:44such amazing examples for all other aspiring business women out there. So give yourselves a round
26:50of applause. All of you really brought your a game today and it made our job as judges very,
26:57very difficult. All right. Um, but without further ado, I think it's time to jump into it
27:03and let's get to our winners. The first winner of the evening, drum roll over there. First winner of the
27:13evening is Janice Newsome, Lillian Augusta here company. Hey girl. Hey, listen, you just won
27:26mad money. How does it feel to be our first?
27:31I think you were an amazing representation of your company. Your partner should be very proud.
27:43How are you feeling? What does it feel like to be that much richer for your company?
27:48It's a great feeling, especially knowing, you know, we're really getting ready for our launch next
27:53year. This is going to be very beneficial to get things in place for us. Thank you so much and all
27:59the best in your future endeavors. I cannot wait to see Lillian Augusta, her company out in beauty
28:04supply stores near me. Our second and final winner for our pitch competition today, black and positively
28:13golden. Y'all holding your breath? Miss Maya Kane of Maeve Fashion. Oh, Maya, you did such an amazing job.
28:27How are you feeling right in this very moment? I want to call my sister. I'm so excited.
28:33What are you assistant to do first when it comes to Maeve fashion? Yeah, so we're going right to the
28:39bank. We're gearing up for a beta test with 2,000 women across the country. So being able to prep for
28:46that, recruit the women, and have them be the first testers of Maeve is so exciting. And this is going to
28:52help us make a seamless process for that before we do our our full launch to the App Store next year.
28:58So this is so exciting. And I just want to thank McDonald's, Essence, New Voices Fund for this
29:03opportunity. You know, black women tech founders, I feel like it's kind of the wild world west out here
29:10to find opportunities like this. So it's just such a blessing. And again, I can't thank you all so much.
29:17I cannot wait to see what you ladies do as you flourish and you thrive in your endeavors. So
29:23thank you again. Thanks, McDonald's. Congratulations to both of our winners and to all of our finalists
29:32who participated today. Be sure to head over to each of their social media pages and support each of
29:37their businesses. It's so, so, so important that we support each other. I know I definitely will.
29:43And of course, I have to thank our lovely judges, Marissa and Jaysa. And a huge, huge thank you to
29:49McDonald's Black and Positively Golden Movement for bringing us this exciting moment this evening.
29:56Don't go anywhere. The Girls United Summit is just getting started.
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