Gamifying Pitch Competitions

Aisha Mccain

Aisha McCain is an inventor, entrepreneur, and healthcare innovator who believes the best solutions come from people who have lived the problem. A three time cancer survivor, Aisha spent years navigating surgeries, recovery, and the realities of life as a patient. Along the way, she experienced firsthand the challenges patients and caregivers face every day and was inspired to create solutions that improve safety, dignity, and quality of life. As Founder and CEO of Casual Recovery Enterprises, Aisha develops patented healthcare innovations designed to improve patient safety, emergency response, and recovery. She holds 9 U.S. utility patents, 1 international patent, and multiple international patents pending. Her work has earned international recognition, including multiple Gold Medals at the Silicon Valley International Invention Festival, the RIVA Award for Innovation, and recognition from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Among her innovations are Smart Case, a patented connected emergency response device for rescue inhalers, Drain Care Wear, a patented post surgical recovery garment, and Wound Care Wear, a patented smart textile technology designed to improve wound care and patient recovery. Aisha is also the creator of Pediatric Superheroes, an initiative dedicated to empowering children facing serious illnesses through hope, courage, and compassion. After losing her sister to asthma, Aisha became even more determined to create technologies that help people access life saving care when every second matters. Through innovation, advocacy, and lived experience, she is building a future where patients feel safer, more supported, and better connected to the care they need when it matters most.

Evelyn LaChapelle

Evelyn LaChapelle , in 2013 was convicted for her minor role in a cannabis distribution operation. She is now utilizing her position to advocate for restorative justice. Evelyn has built her own lifestyle brand “87”. She plans to push this brand and industry forward by normalizing cannabis consumption first with luxury cannabis high essentials & apparel.

Tyisha Ferguson

Tyisha Ferguson is the founder of Brown Girl Candle Café, a handcrafted candle brand that blends dessert-inspired creativity with healing and self-care. What began as a personal journey through grief after the tragic loss of her daughter has evolved into a purpose-driven business that brings light, comfort, and connection to others. Tyisha is also in the process of launching the Purple Butterfly Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting individuals navigating grief and trauma through therapeutic art, emotional wellness programs, and community outreach. With a background in social sciences and case management, she brings compassion, resilience, and heart to every aspect of her work. Through both her business and foundation, Tyisha is on a mission to turn pain into purpose — creating safe spaces for healing and inspiring others to rise with grace and strength.

Crystal Angel

Crystal Angel is the founder and CEO of ANGELS ONLY, a viral fashion-forward medical scrub line she built from the ground up during one of the most uncertain moments in modern history and turned into a global brand. A Grand Valley State University graduate, Crystal built her foundation in healthcare at Detroit Medical Center (DMC), where she provided outpatient care for patients in the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan's Center for Spinal Cord Injury Recovery Program. Working in healthcare gave her something no business school could teach: a firsthand understanding of what the women carrying this industry on their backs actually needed. It didn't just shape her perspective. It gave her the blueprint for a brand the industry had been missing. When the pandemic brought her career to an unexpected halt after she was furloughed, she channeled everything she knew into building something the market had never seen. Five months later, she launched ANGELS ONLY. She had no business background. No investors. No roadmap. What she had was a healthcare professional's eye for what was broken, a lifelong passion for fashion, and the unwavering conviction that women in healthcare deserved better than what the market was offering. She spent months researching manufacturers, sourcing fabrics, and teaching herself how to build and market a brand entirely from scratch. The result was a business that went viral on its 5th TikTok video, generated 4 million views within weeks of launching on the platform, and sold out every design within days of each drop. Comments poured in from healthcare workers & beauty professionals across the world as Crystal documented her entire journey in real time; showing young women how to pursue their own dreams without waiting for permission. That authenticity built something money can't manufacture: a loyal, engaged community spanning 35 countries and 6 continents. ANGELS ONLY has been featured in Business Insider, covered by major news networks, leading healthcare platforms, and has received support and recognition from the Detroit Pistons, JP Morgan Chase, FedEx, and leading consumer brands including SheaMoisture. Crystal is a proud Detroit native, Grand Valley State University alumna, and Jack & Jill of America legacy, grounded in values of community, excellence, and the responsibility to lift as you climb. Those values are not incidental to ANGELS ONLY. They are the foundation of it. Today, Crystal is raising $100,000 to build the infrastructure that matches the momentum ANGELS ONLY has already earned — expanding inventory, strengthening fulfillment, and growing the team needed to meet a demand that is already here. Your vote is what opens the next door. Cast it for ANGELS ONLY!

Nyla Choates

Nyla Choates is a Junior English major at Spelman College from Milpitas California. She is the President of the Spelman Entrepreneurship Club, a 2023 Mcdonald's Black & Positively Golden Changeleader, a Blackstone Launchpad Fellow, and Target Scholar. She has been making waves in the world of entrepreneurship and social change as the author, founder, and CEO of the children’s brand My Roots Are Rich. She came up with My Roots Are Rich after realizing that Black students are only being taught a snippet of Black history in the classrooms-most of that time being the negative parts. Leading Black students to feel inadequate and poorly represented in school settings. This is how she came up with her solution, My Roots Are Rich- a children’s brand that empowers inspires, and educates young kids about their rich history. Her brand gives children the POSITIVE representation they deserve! And she's now on a mission to not only give children the positive representation in the books that they read, but also in the clothes they wear, and toys they play with! With your help we can turn this vision into a reality! Join us in choosing to plant the seeds that you want to see grow forever!

Aisha Mccain

Aisha McCain is an inventor, entrepreneur, and healthcare innovator who believes the best solutions come from people who have lived the problem. A three time cancer survivor, Aisha spent years navigating surgeries, recovery, and the realities of life as a patient. Along the way, she experienced firsthand the challenges patients and caregivers face every day and was inspired to create solutions that improve safety, dignity, and quality of life. As Founder and CEO of Casual Recovery Enterprises, Aisha develops patented healthcare innovations designed to improve patient safety, emergency response, and recovery. She holds 9 U.S. utility patents, 1 international patent, and multiple international patents pending. Her work has earned international recognition, including multiple Gold Medals at the Silicon Valley International Invention Festival, the RIVA Award for Innovation, and recognition from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Among her innovations are Smart Case, a patented connected emergency response device for rescue inhalers, Drain Care Wear, a patented post surgical recovery garment, and Wound Care Wear, a patented smart textile technology designed to improve wound care and patient recovery. Aisha is also the creator of Pediatric Superheroes, an initiative dedicated to empowering children facing serious illnesses through hope, courage, and compassion. After losing her sister to asthma, Aisha became even more determined to create technologies that help people access life saving care when every second matters. Through innovation, advocacy, and lived experience, she is building a future where patients feel safer, more supported, and better connected to the care they need when it matters most.

Evelyn LaChapelle

Evelyn LaChapelle , in 2013 was convicted for her minor role in a cannabis distribution operation. She is now utilizing her position to advocate for restorative justice. Evelyn has built her own lifestyle brand “87”. She plans to push this brand and industry forward by normalizing cannabis consumption first with luxury cannabis high essentials & apparel.

Tyisha Ferguson

Tyisha Ferguson is the founder of Brown Girl Candle Café, a handcrafted candle brand that blends dessert-inspired creativity with healing and self-care. What began as a personal journey through grief after the tragic loss of her daughter has evolved into a purpose-driven business that brings light, comfort, and connection to others. Tyisha is also in the process of launching the Purple Butterfly Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting individuals navigating grief and trauma through therapeutic art, emotional wellness programs, and community outreach. With a background in social sciences and case management, she brings compassion, resilience, and heart to every aspect of her work. Through both her business and foundation, Tyisha is on a mission to turn pain into purpose — creating safe spaces for healing and inspiring others to rise with grace and strength.

Crystal Angel

Crystal Angel is the founder and CEO of ANGELS ONLY, a viral fashion-forward medical scrub line she built from the ground up during one of the most uncertain moments in modern history and turned into a global brand. A Grand Valley State University graduate, Crystal built her foundation in healthcare at Detroit Medical Center (DMC), where she provided outpatient care for patients in the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan's Center for Spinal Cord Injury Recovery Program. Working in healthcare gave her something no business school could teach: a firsthand understanding of what the women carrying this industry on their backs actually needed. It didn't just shape her perspective. It gave her the blueprint for a brand the industry had been missing. When the pandemic brought her career to an unexpected halt after she was furloughed, she channeled everything she knew into building something the market had never seen. Five months later, she launched ANGELS ONLY. She had no business background. No investors. No roadmap. What she had was a healthcare professional's eye for what was broken, a lifelong passion for fashion, and the unwavering conviction that women in healthcare deserved better than what the market was offering. She spent months researching manufacturers, sourcing fabrics, and teaching herself how to build and market a brand entirely from scratch. The result was a business that went viral on its 5th TikTok video, generated 4 million views within weeks of launching on the platform, and sold out every design within days of each drop. Comments poured in from healthcare workers & beauty professionals across the world as Crystal documented her entire journey in real time; showing young women how to pursue their own dreams without waiting for permission. That authenticity built something money can't manufacture: a loyal, engaged community spanning 35 countries and 6 continents. ANGELS ONLY has been featured in Business Insider, covered by major news networks, leading healthcare platforms, and has received support and recognition from the Detroit Pistons, JP Morgan Chase, FedEx, and leading consumer brands including SheaMoisture. Crystal is a proud Detroit native, Grand Valley State University alumna, and Jack & Jill of America legacy, grounded in values of community, excellence, and the responsibility to lift as you climb. Those values are not incidental to ANGELS ONLY. They are the foundation of it. Today, Crystal is raising $100,000 to build the infrastructure that matches the momentum ANGELS ONLY has already earned — expanding inventory, strengthening fulfillment, and growing the team needed to meet a demand that is already here. Your vote is what opens the next door. Cast it for ANGELS ONLY!

Nyla Choates

Nyla Choates is a Junior English major at Spelman College from Milpitas California. She is the President of the Spelman Entrepreneurship Club, a 2023 Mcdonald's Black & Positively Golden Changeleader, a Blackstone Launchpad Fellow, and Target Scholar. She has been making waves in the world of entrepreneurship and social change as the author, founder, and CEO of the children’s brand My Roots Are Rich. She came up with My Roots Are Rich after realizing that Black students are only being taught a snippet of Black history in the classrooms-most of that time being the negative parts. Leading Black students to feel inadequate and poorly represented in school settings. This is how she came up with her solution, My Roots Are Rich- a children’s brand that empowers inspires, and educates young kids about their rich history. Her brand gives children the POSITIVE representation they deserve! And she's now on a mission to not only give children the positive representation in the books that they read, but also in the clothes they wear, and toys they play with! With your help we can turn this vision into a reality! Join us in choosing to plant the seeds that you want to see grow forever!