It was a packed house at The Reser in Beaverton, last night, as 10 Black founders took the stage to pitch their ideas. The pitches were solid. The decision were difficult. And the prize money was higher than it has ever been. But after the audience votes were tallied, the following companies walked away winners.
- $30,000 First place: Holla School of Portland
- $20,000 Second place: ABC Travel Greenbook of Oakland, CA
- $10,000 Third place: Flourish Spices and African Food of Salem, OR
In addition to these non-dilutive grants for the winners, every participant walked away with a grant for $3000 to go toward their businesses. That means that a grand total of $81,000 was infused in to Black businesses, last night — the majority of which were right here in Portland.
The event was livestreamed and recorded. So stay tuned for additional content over the coming weeks.
For more information or to stay in the loop, visit PitchBlack.
[Full disclosure: Built Oregon assists with PitchBlack. I am the cofounder of Built.]
