We are excited to introduce our 10 pitch finalists who will compete for a chance to receive non-repayable funding & resources at the Founders Fund Live Pitch Competition Finale on June 23rd 2021 at 1PM EST!
Meet Kennishia & Kyree Duffus - Founders of Girl Gang Strong Inc.
What is Girl Gang Strong?
Girl Gang Strong is a welcoming and safe space online where tween and teen girls can learn to love who they are — no matter who they are!
Girl Gang Strong is more than just an online community of tools and resources for pre-teen and teenage girls. Girl Gang Strong also wants to have a little fun along the way!
Subscribe to the Girl Gang Strong subscription box and get ready for a bi-monthly delivery of products that will make you glow with happiness, inside and out!
The Subscription box is for all girls and all for girls - the products inside are specially curated to help every girl invest in self love.
Meet Rebecca Mazzara - Founder of Calita Intimates
What is Calita Intimates?
After a degree in Marketing and a mini career in ecommerce, Rebecca committed herself entirely to creating an intimates line for women, made from natural fibers, that are good for the planet, and manufactured in Canada. That’s how Calita was born.
The name Calita was inspired by combining two beautiful Spanish words Rebecca grew up hearing:
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calata: naked
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cosita: little thing
Rebecca is proud of all the work that went into innovating a new product that would have been perfect for her younger self, and for all women’s naked little thing. After a year of research and fabric testing, Rebecca fell in love with a fabric called Tencel™ Modal. This fabric checked all of the boxes: sustainability, breathability, resilience, and comfort. (Want to learn more? Rebecca wrote an article highlighting the key benefits of this fabric.) Naturally, Rebecca chose Tencel™ to create her very first line, Calita Intimates.
Meet Lucy Cullen - Founder of EarthPup
What is Earth Pup?
Founder of EarthPup™, Lucy Cullen is an animal lover, sustainability expert and award-winning environmentalist. Ever since she could remember, she has been obsessed with dogs.
In 2019, Lucy decided to get back to her childhood dream of helping animals. Combining her passion for sustainability and dedication to helping dogs, Lucy founded EarthPup™ with her partner Adam Alguire, an acclaimed Toronto chef. Adam brought his dedication to animal welfare and delicious food to EarthPup, where he and Lucy work closely with animal nutritionists to create eco-friendly treats that give back.
Meet Rachel Nicks - Founder of Birth Queen
What is Birth Queen?
Birth Queen is an inclusive, Black owned and operated organization that is rising up to fight the Black maternal health crisis. Birth Queen is on a mission to train and educate Black birth workers and support and empower Black parents. By doing this, Birth Queen will save the lives of Black mamas and babies!
Your donation to Birth Queen will go to organizations they trust that are supporting mothers from pregnancy through to postpartum. These organizations provide resources like: childbirth education classes, birth and postpartum doulas, doula training, lactation consultants, Black Centering group prenatal and postpartum care and more!
Meet Wala'a Farahat - Co Founder of Rubiks Counselling
What is Rubiks Counselling?
Rubiks Counselling all started with two therapists, Wala'a Farahat and Samiyah Zawawi, acknowledging the existing gaps in services for diverse populations and wanting to make a change.
As therapists they honor the background, religion and diverse experiences a person from a minority group identifies with. They believe that acknowledging and naming the external and systematic challenges is essential and cannot be left outside the therapy room. Whether it is racism, social justice, culture, spirituality, identity, migration or the diaspora, they are ready to go there if you are.
Rubiks is leading the shift in how services are provided to diverse populations and minority groups.
Meet Alicia Richins - Founder of mySDGaudit
What is mySDGaudit?
mySDGaudit is a platform and tool that will take the guesswork out of holistic, mission-aligned impact assessments. Users will be guided through a comprehensive interactice questionnaire and submission prompts based on the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The platform will then generate a customized initial assessment of impact, along with opportunities worth exploring.
Once complete, users will also get access to a directory of impact measurement professionals to help them develop bespoke processes for their organizations.
Impact measurement can be difficult and resource intensive. mySDGaudit balances accessibility with rigour for quality impact assessment and measurement.
Meet Hannah Chisholm - Founder of Eggcitables
What is Eggcitables?
Founder Hannah Chisholm loves to eat (a lot). Unfortunately, she has been allergic to milk, egg, and nuts her entire life.Combining the drive to eat an “egg” for the very first time and some research, she discovered the power of the chickpea. After years of development, support (and a little love) Eggcitables was born, a plant-based egg alternative!
All of Eggcitables' products are certified vegan and are free from all the top eight most common allergens, including gluten.
As an advocate for sustainable living, Eggcitable’s vision to create a company that fosters innovative, sustainable solutions to dietary restrictions. The result: a soy free, nut free, completely vegan alternative to eggs. Eggcitables' mission is offer delicious and unique foods to consumers while maximizing their social impact and minimizing their environmental footprint.
Meet Carla Smith - Founder of Rolla Skate Club
What is Rolla Skate Club?
Rolla Skate Club is on a mission to change the narrative around women’s bodies and physical capabilities. Around traditional roles & responsibilities, female-leadership and body-confidence. Around women, power and sports.
Rolla Skate Club is creating a global movement to empower women and they’re using roller skates to do it. Rolla Skate Club wants women to be as powerful in their life, community and business as they are on their roller skates. Rolla Skate Club wants them to find the beauty in what their body can do and how it feels, not what it looks like, and use that to strengthen each other.
Meet Muna Mohammed - Founder of Eight50Coffee
What is Eight50Coffee?
Eight50 Coffee provides a variety of certified organic and fair trade coffee as well as responsibly sourced micro lot coffee products from around the world that are locally roasted and packaged right here in Canada.
From flavour to frequency, brewing method to accessories, Eight50 Coffee provides an array of online coffee learning tools and equipment to allow for a complete online shopping experience for customers to brew our unique blends and single origin specialty coffee at home. Eight50 Coffee also offers a wholesale and monthly subscription program that allows members to select their preferred frequency, and delivery schedule.
Meet Janelle Jordan - Founder of Fusion Fit Foods
What is Fusion Fit Foods?
Janelle Jordan is the Founder and Chief Protein Officer of Fusion Fit Foods where you can live your best fit foodie life!
Fusion Fit Food creates protein rich, plant-based, macro-friendly snacks for the “fit foodie” — an epicurean who values and aspires towards living a holistically healthy lifestyle, particularly nourishing the body with natural, whole foods high on flavour, yet low in SOS ingredients (sugar, oils, salt).
Because you’re not only what you eat, but also what you absorb, you can feel good about indulging in their fusion cuisine and fit foods — from its locally-sourced, organic ingredients on the inside, to its eco-friendly, sustainable packaging on the outside — Fusion Fit Foods' vegan-friendly snacks are made for the discerning palate without compromising on flavour, texture and taste.
This has been our list of our 10 exceptional finalists!
And with that, you are all invited to join our Pitch Competition Finale! We will be opening up invites to our community members and extended community of family and friends can join to cheer on our finalists!