Women Founders Network Announces Five Finalists Who Will Compete for $30,000 in Cash and $50,000 in Services at Eighth Annual Fast Pitch Competition -- Finalists Addressing Cancer Care, College Admissions, Healthy Canniboid-Enhanced Foods, Pain and Anxiety Management, and Turnkey Backyard Apartment Creation --

Women Founders Network (“WFN”) today announced the five finalists who will compete in its Eighth Annual Fast Pitch Competition on October 27, 2020. The competition awards early-stage women-led startups a total of $30,000 cash and $50,000 in professional services.



Cash prizes totaling a minimum of $25,000 will be awarded by WFN judges and an additional $5,000 cash prize will be awarded to the Junior Judges’ favorite Fast Pitch company. This award empowers girls in grades 6-12 to participate in the process and be inspired by women entrepreneurs. All five finalists will receive professional services totaling $50,000. The group will also gain visibility and exposure to leading early-stage venture capitalists, angel investors and business executives who are judging the event and attending the virtual pre-pitch Springboard Enterprises Dolphin Tank® with Women Founders Network on August 20th, and a private invitation-only event on September 22nd.



The Five Finalists (in alphabetical order) are:

• Cooler Heads Care, Inc., Kate Dilligan, Founder & CEO, San Diego, CA - Cooler Heads builds the evidence-based products cancer patients and survivors need to thrive.
• Cirkled in, Reetu Gupta, Founder, Redmond, WA - Cirkled-In matches best-fit students and colleges, creating win-win while leveling the playing fields of college admissions for all students
• Potli, Christine Yi, Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer, Los Angeles, CA - Potli is the world's first legal CBD and THC infused pantry line, offering healthier, cannabinoid enhanced staples like honey, olive oil, chili oil, and apple cider vinegar.
• Flowly, Celine Tien, Founder and CEO, Pasadena, CA - Flowly is a mobile app that teaches users to control their heart rate and breathing to manage pain, anxiety, and even sleep.
• Garagify, Monica D. Higgins, Co-Founder, Los Angeles, CA - Garagify is a tech-enabled design-build company that helps you turn your garage into a studio apartment or build a larger apartment from the ground up.



“We are so pleased to announce our top five finalists among a crowded field of nearly 140 applicants,” said Darya Allen-Attar, Founder and CEO of Women Founders Network. “In the face of an uncertain and challenging economy, these women are solving large and meaningful problems, making their businesses very attractive and poised for growth. We are excited to see them pitch in October at our virtual event that could not have been made possible without the support of our sponsors, such as our presenting sponsor Union Bank and our Junior Judges sponsor 33 Capital.”



About the Women Founders Network Fast Pitch Competition



We support women entrepreneurs building high-growth early-stage businesses. To apply, the company must have a woman co-founder, president or CEO, or be majority-owned by women, among other criteria.



The Fast Pitch Competition will take place on Tuesday, October 27th from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time. This event is open to the public and tickets will be available through our website.



Women Founders Network Competition Sponsors



We would like to thank our sponsors for their amazing support! The Fast Pitch is presented by Union Bank this year and we appreciate their generous support as our Presenting Sponsor.



We would also like to thank our Corporate Sponsors: UCLA Anderson, Fenwick and West, KPMG, Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, USC Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies and Troutman Pepper.



In addition, we'd like to thank those who have committed to supporting the Women Founders Network with in-kind services sponsorships: Evolution, Supporting Strategies, Troutman Pepper, Elevate my Brand and Flodesk.



We’re also pleased to welcome our Perks Partners: AWS Activate, Brex, Distillery, HubSpot, JustWorks, The Riveter, RoleBot, TriNet and Twilio.



If you are interested in joining our roster of sponsors, please contact Kim Christensen, director, Women Founders Network, at kim@womenfoundersnetwork.com and Patti Buhler, administration, Women Founders Network, at patti.buhler@gmail.com.



About the Junior Judges Program and Women Founders Foundation



Since 2014, the Junior Judges program of the Women Founders Network Fast Pitch has educated more than 90 girls in grades 6-12 about entrepreneurship through interactive online reading assignments, workshops teaching the fundamentals of business, and their participation in the annual WFN Fast Pitch Event as “venture capitalists for a day” to vote for their favorite company and present a sponsored cash award to their winner. The Junior Judges walk away from the experience feeling confident, inspired, and motivated, knowing there is a strong community of women available to support them in achieving their goals.



The Junior Judges Program is overseen by the Women Founders Foundation (WFF), which seeks to provide young women with the confidence, knowledge, and skills needed to build a business from the ground up, across all industries with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. We would like to thank our Women Founders Foundation Sponsors Silicon Valley Bank, 33 Capital and UCLA Anderson.



About Women Founders Network



Women Founders Network (WFN) connects women building high-growth businesses with the tools and resources they need to achieve business success. WFN has awarded and directly invested over $1.5 million in women-founded companies in the past six years, and alumni have gone on to raise over $100 million in funding. Visit us at www.womenfoundersnetwork.com.



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