Top 5 Finalists Named, Winner Announced July 12

NEW YORK, NY, USA, July 10, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- HearstLab is hosting their first virtual Pitch HearstLab U event on July 12, a competition series focused on finding and funding female founders emerging from the university ecosystem. One company will be selected as an automatic finalist to present in-person in front of a live audience at a Pitch HearstLab event in San Antonio on October 18 for the opportunity to win a $100k investment plus three months of hands-on support to help build their business. $1 million has been invested through Pitch HearstLab events alone to date.

HearstLab, whose mission is centered around bringing visibility and opportunity to women leaders, facilitating innovation, and creating value from early-stage investments, is specifically targeting companies having a CEO who is currently in or recently graduated (3 years) from a university program, as well as being a women-led company with a female CEO and female founder(s) through this event.

Out of nearly a hundred applications from across the country, 69% are startups that have raised funds previously, 29% a pre-seed or beyond. 82% were B2B or B2B2C and the top 5 industries represented were: AI/ML, Ecommerce/Retail, HealthCare, SaaS, and Social Impact.

The top 5 finalists of Pitch HearstLab U are:

1. Alexandra Bono w/ Pelican: Pelican is empowering families to save smarter, save more, and effortlessly achieve their financial goals for their children's education.

2. Laura Epstein w/ Pulse Charter Connect: Pulse Charter Connect is a healthcare logistics solution that resolves inefficiencies in organ and surgical team transportation.

3. Lizzy Kolar w/ Scope Zero: Think health savings account, but for home technology and personal transportation upgrades that foster employee financial wellness and corporate ESG.

4. Sarah Powers w/ Nemu: Nemu is a tool for families to conveniently manage and fairly divide heirlooms so that they can focus on what matters most during life’s most trying times.

5. Tayyaba Ali w/ Tikal Industries LLC: Tikal is an environmental diagnostics company leveraging advanced spectroscopy hardware and AI to help stakeholders affordably detect contaminants with unparalleled accuracy in any given media.

Judges of the virtual event include Lisa Burton O’Toole (VP of HearstLab), Shashi Srikantan (Previous Scout turned Managing Director at HearstLab sister fund LevelUp Ventures), and Catherine Lane (General Counsel at Hearst and HearstLab Scout). Eastin Rossell (HearstLab Venture Associate) will lead finalist reviews and selections and will be the day-of emcee.

“So many of our amazing HearstLab founders started their companies during undergraduate or graduate programs,” remarks Lisa Burton O’Toole, VP of HearstLab. “Pitch HearstLab U is a focused effort to find early-stage female founders who are current or recent grads. The sooner we get to know them, the
better.”

“Our traditional investment process involves larger checks and more due diligence. The Pitch HearstLab model allows us to build relationships with founders earlier in their journey and provide a stage for them as they look to connect with the broader venture ecosystem,” notes Eastin Rossell, HearstLab Venture
Associate. “We are thrilled about the opportunity to grow and expand our partnerships specifically with Universities.”

Judges in San Antonio will include Eve Burton (EVP of Hearst and Chairwoman of HearstLab). Beyond its Pitch Series, founders can apply for investment year-round through the HearstLab website. Typical starting check size is $500K in Pre-Series A rounds. HearstLab’s growing portfolio of exclusively women-led companies is currently valued at over $2B collectively.

Register for the July 12 virtual event here.

About HearstLab
Launched in 2016, HearstLab provides cash investments and services to early-stage, women-led startups innovating across fintech, data analytics, health, transportation, enterprise technology and media. Its mission is to close the gap in VC funding for women by helping founders build sustainable and highly scalable businesses. With access to Hearst resources across 360+ businesses, HearstLab’s breadth of services includes assistance with privacy and security, software development, legal services, financial analysis, and marketing and design support. To learn more about HearstLab, visit HearstLab.com and connect with us on LinkedIn.

Chelsea Van Voorhis
Astound Communications
chelsea@cvvproductions.com

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