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.

Sade Parham

At Blue Water Girls, we are building a clean, inclusive sun care and body-care brand that reimagines how women approach tanning and sun care. The $900M+ tanning industry has long been dominated by toxic formulas, overpowering fragrances, and products designed without diverse skin tones in mind. We’re changing that.

Katrina Thacker

Katrina Thacker is the Founder and CEO of Nzuri Kulture, a Chicago based wellness brand creating Aromatic Scentscapes that transform everyday moments into opportunities for healing, comfort, and connection. A certified Reiki practitioner, Katrina founded the company during the pandemic after experiencing the profound impact scent can have on emotional well being. Inspired by culture, cherished memories, and intentional living, Katrina has grown Nzuri Kulture from a single candle into a thriving wellness brand offering handcrafted candles, skincare, workshops, and immersive experiences that help people reconnect with themselves and those they love. From nostalgic food inspired candles to intention collections rooted in mindfulness, every product is thoughtfully designed to evoke joy, spark meaningful memories, and support holistic wellness. Since launching, Katrina has served thousands of customers, built retail and wholesale partnerships, and created community centered wellness experiences throughout Chicago. Her vision extends far beyond candles. She is building a wellness brand that makes self care accessible, culturally relevant, and deeply personal. Through this crowdfunding campaign, Katrina is inviting supporters to help expand Nzuri Kulture’s impact by growing its wellness offerings, creating new experiences, increasing production capacity, and bringing intentional self care to even more communities. Every contribution helps transform a simple candle into a lasting experience of healing, connection, and hope.

Wubit Hailemichael

Happy Pads began with a story that was deeply personal to us. Growing up in Ethiopia, we saw firsthand what happens when girls and women don’t have reliable access to safe menstrual products. For too many, a period can mean missing school, missing opportunities, or using unsafe alternatives simply because there is no other choice. That experience became our reason for creating Happy Pads. Happy Pads is a female-founded menstrual care company working to make periods safer, healthier, and more dignified through chemical-free, sustainable menstrual products. But our mission goes beyond selling pads. We are building a company where every step of our growth can create impact. In just the last few months, we’ve sold over 500,000 pads and donated more than 30,000 pads through our nonprofit partnerships. Happy Pads is more than a period product, it’s about dignity, opportunity, and changing lives.

Gisela Rocha

Gisela Rocha is a first generation immigrant, a mom of three, and the founder of Untamed Naturals. She grew up watching her grandmother solve everyday problems with simple remedies, resourcefulness, and a whole lot of love. Years later, after becoming a mother and walking alongside her husband through cancer, she found herself searching for that same sense of simplicity again. That journey reshaped the way she thinks about wellness, business, and what truly deserves a place in our homes. Over the last six years, Gisela has grown Untamed Naturals from her kitchen into a brand carried in nearly 100 retail locations across the country. Her mission isn't to create more products. It's to help families own fewer, better ones. She believes trust should always matter more than trends, and that the products we keep in our homes should earn their place by being used, loved, and passed from one generation to the next. Above all, Gisela believes meaningful businesses are built the same way meaningful relationships are, with honesty, consistency, and showing up when people need you. Whether she's talking with customers, fellow founders, or another parent trying to simplify life, her hope is always the same: to help people feel a little less overwhelmed, a little more connected, and reminded that sometimes the simplest things are the ones that last the longest. A vote for Gisela is a vote for embracing what really matters. It's a vote for choosing trust over trends, believing wellness doesn't have to be complicated, and supporting products that earn their place in our homes. With your vote, we can continue building the next generational wellness staple, one trusted home at a time.

Urina Harrell

Urina Harrell is a founder, operator, and civic leader working at the intersection of culture, capital, and community-driven economic growth. Her work has been recognized by the California Secretary of State and acknowledged at the ESPY Awards for contributions to high-impact, athlete-led philanthropic initiatives. She is the Founder and CEO of Vox Pop Branding, a strategic firm launched in 2013 that designs initiatives leveraging sports, entertainment, and tourism to drive measurable local impact. She also serves as President of the Long Beach Community Land Trust, where she advances affordable housing strategy, long-term community ownership, and place-based economic development in Southern California. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Urina led efforts to prevent local businesses from permanently closing through an initiative she and two colleagues launched called Project Business Lift. An independent study conducted by California State University, Long Beach, later found that her territory, Long Beach’s 9th District, was the only region in the city to experience net business growth during the pandemic, positioning the work as a model for community-centered economic resilience. The program has since been institutionalized by the City of Long Beach as the Business Navigator Program within the Economic Development Department. Her client portfolio includes 2x NBA Champion Jrue Holiday, Soccer Hall of Famer Lauren Holiday, and other current and retired professional athletes. Across these partnerships, she structures initiatives that translate cultural influence into durable economic opportunity for cities and underserved communities. Urina advises on strategies connecting athletes, brands, and institutions to build long-term community wealth.

Nijeria Thompson

Nijeria is the Founder & CEO of TAP Candle Company, a Black woman-owned luxury home fragrance brand that creates music-inspired candles, room sprays, and diffusers. TAP Candles specializes in transforming songs into immersive scent experiences using clean, vegan, sustainable ingredients. Each product features a QR code linking to the track that inspired the fragrance, merging scent, sound, and storytelling in a unique proprietary customer experience. With professional experience leading Inclusion, Belonging, and Diversity initiatives at Fortune 500 and global companies. Nijeria brings strong expertise in strategic leadership, brand development, and culture-building. This background directly supports TAP Candles's mission to celebrate Black culture, promote wellness through clean fragrance, and create accessible luxury for diverse audiences. Since launching, TAP Candles has: • Developed a growing product line using coconut–apricot wax and non-toxic fragrance blends • Built partnerships across retail, corporate gifting, and marketing activations • Designed custom fragrance experiences for artists, musicians, and creative brands • Expanded into experiential products that integrate technology with fragrance • Established a strong community presence through storytelling, music culture, and sustainable luxury Nijeria is committed to scaling TAP Candles into a nationally recognized fragrance and lifestyle brand. She focuses on innovation, revenue growth, partnerships, and expanding TAP Candles presence in retail, entertainment, and corporate gifting markets.

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.

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.

Sade Parham

At Blue Water Girls, we are building a clean, inclusive sun care and body-care brand that reimagines how women approach tanning and sun care. The $900M+ tanning industry has long been dominated by toxic formulas, overpowering fragrances, and products designed without diverse skin tones in mind. We’re changing that.

Katrina Thacker

Katrina Thacker is the Founder and CEO of Nzuri Kulture, a Chicago based wellness brand creating Aromatic Scentscapes that transform everyday moments into opportunities for healing, comfort, and connection. A certified Reiki practitioner, Katrina founded the company during the pandemic after experiencing the profound impact scent can have on emotional well being. Inspired by culture, cherished memories, and intentional living, Katrina has grown Nzuri Kulture from a single candle into a thriving wellness brand offering handcrafted candles, skincare, workshops, and immersive experiences that help people reconnect with themselves and those they love. From nostalgic food inspired candles to intention collections rooted in mindfulness, every product is thoughtfully designed to evoke joy, spark meaningful memories, and support holistic wellness. Since launching, Katrina has served thousands of customers, built retail and wholesale partnerships, and created community centered wellness experiences throughout Chicago. Her vision extends far beyond candles. She is building a wellness brand that makes self care accessible, culturally relevant, and deeply personal. Through this crowdfunding campaign, Katrina is inviting supporters to help expand Nzuri Kulture’s impact by growing its wellness offerings, creating new experiences, increasing production capacity, and bringing intentional self care to even more communities. Every contribution helps transform a simple candle into a lasting experience of healing, connection, and hope.

Wubit Hailemichael

Happy Pads began with a story that was deeply personal to us. Growing up in Ethiopia, we saw firsthand what happens when girls and women don’t have reliable access to safe menstrual products. For too many, a period can mean missing school, missing opportunities, or using unsafe alternatives simply because there is no other choice. That experience became our reason for creating Happy Pads. Happy Pads is a female-founded menstrual care company working to make periods safer, healthier, and more dignified through chemical-free, sustainable menstrual products. But our mission goes beyond selling pads. We are building a company where every step of our growth can create impact. In just the last few months, we’ve sold over 500,000 pads and donated more than 30,000 pads through our nonprofit partnerships. Happy Pads is more than a period product, it’s about dignity, opportunity, and changing lives.

Gisela Rocha

Gisela Rocha is a first generation immigrant, a mom of three, and the founder of Untamed Naturals. She grew up watching her grandmother solve everyday problems with simple remedies, resourcefulness, and a whole lot of love. Years later, after becoming a mother and walking alongside her husband through cancer, she found herself searching for that same sense of simplicity again. That journey reshaped the way she thinks about wellness, business, and what truly deserves a place in our homes. Over the last six years, Gisela has grown Untamed Naturals from her kitchen into a brand carried in nearly 100 retail locations across the country. Her mission isn't to create more products. It's to help families own fewer, better ones. She believes trust should always matter more than trends, and that the products we keep in our homes should earn their place by being used, loved, and passed from one generation to the next. Above all, Gisela believes meaningful businesses are built the same way meaningful relationships are, with honesty, consistency, and showing up when people need you. Whether she's talking with customers, fellow founders, or another parent trying to simplify life, her hope is always the same: to help people feel a little less overwhelmed, a little more connected, and reminded that sometimes the simplest things are the ones that last the longest. A vote for Gisela is a vote for embracing what really matters. It's a vote for choosing trust over trends, believing wellness doesn't have to be complicated, and supporting products that earn their place in our homes. With your vote, we can continue building the next generational wellness staple, one trusted home at a time.

Urina Harrell

Urina Harrell is a founder, operator, and civic leader working at the intersection of culture, capital, and community-driven economic growth. Her work has been recognized by the California Secretary of State and acknowledged at the ESPY Awards for contributions to high-impact, athlete-led philanthropic initiatives. She is the Founder and CEO of Vox Pop Branding, a strategic firm launched in 2013 that designs initiatives leveraging sports, entertainment, and tourism to drive measurable local impact. She also serves as President of the Long Beach Community Land Trust, where she advances affordable housing strategy, long-term community ownership, and place-based economic development in Southern California. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Urina led efforts to prevent local businesses from permanently closing through an initiative she and two colleagues launched called Project Business Lift. An independent study conducted by California State University, Long Beach, later found that her territory, Long Beach’s 9th District, was the only region in the city to experience net business growth during the pandemic, positioning the work as a model for community-centered economic resilience. The program has since been institutionalized by the City of Long Beach as the Business Navigator Program within the Economic Development Department. Her client portfolio includes 2x NBA Champion Jrue Holiday, Soccer Hall of Famer Lauren Holiday, and other current and retired professional athletes. Across these partnerships, she structures initiatives that translate cultural influence into durable economic opportunity for cities and underserved communities. Urina advises on strategies connecting athletes, brands, and institutions to build long-term community wealth.

Nijeria Thompson

Nijeria is the Founder & CEO of TAP Candle Company, a Black woman-owned luxury home fragrance brand that creates music-inspired candles, room sprays, and diffusers. TAP Candles specializes in transforming songs into immersive scent experiences using clean, vegan, sustainable ingredients. Each product features a QR code linking to the track that inspired the fragrance, merging scent, sound, and storytelling in a unique proprietary customer experience. With professional experience leading Inclusion, Belonging, and Diversity initiatives at Fortune 500 and global companies. Nijeria brings strong expertise in strategic leadership, brand development, and culture-building. This background directly supports TAP Candles's mission to celebrate Black culture, promote wellness through clean fragrance, and create accessible luxury for diverse audiences. Since launching, TAP Candles has: • Developed a growing product line using coconut–apricot wax and non-toxic fragrance blends • Built partnerships across retail, corporate gifting, and marketing activations • Designed custom fragrance experiences for artists, musicians, and creative brands • Expanded into experiential products that integrate technology with fragrance • Established a strong community presence through storytelling, music culture, and sustainable luxury Nijeria is committed to scaling TAP Candles into a nationally recognized fragrance and lifestyle brand. She focuses on innovation, revenue growth, partnerships, and expanding TAP Candles presence in retail, entertainment, and corporate gifting markets.

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.