![](\"\/responsive-media\/cache\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/06\/042623_0669_FCE_Pitch_Contest-LAROSA.jpg.3.2x.generic.jpg.0.1x.generic.jpg\"\/)
\u201cWe\u2019re doing what should have been done a long time ago,\u201d D\u2019Agostino, CEO and co-founder, said in her pitch. \u201cWe\u2019re reimagining routine. Any child can benefit from the supportive focus. Many of them already use visual supports as the only interventions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Focus Posters, which launches this summer, is a B2B model, with an initial emphasis on health. \u201cMedical experiences can be scary and overwhelming, especially for children,\u201d said D\u2019Agostino, who earned a bachelor\u2019s in Family Science and Human Development. \u201cStudies show that when kids know what to expect, their anxiety reduces dramatically. Visual supports are already used in health care, but we\u2019re redefining them. Focus Posters will help children see themselves, their procedures and their health routines in a calming, approachable way.\u201d<\/p>\n
While D\u2019Agostino didn\u2019t get the full $20,000 she was seeking, she said the money will help propel Focus Posters and its mission forward. It was her first time pitching, giving her confidence to pursue her business. \u201cI\u2019m thrilled,\u201d she said after her win. \u201cThe workshops provided by FCE+I in preparation for Pitch Day challenged me to examine my business from an investor\u2019s perspective, which in turn not only cultivated a strong presentation, but a solid plan moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another Montclair alumna, Kimberllyn \u201cOlive\u201d Xavier Oliveira \u201922, owner of Brazilian Babe Hot Sauce<\/a>, won $5,000 after her pitch. She got into the hot sauce business after her favorite Scotch bonnet hot sauce was discontinued. When she couldn\u2019t find a satisfactory replacement, with the right mix of fruitiness and spicy heat, she got into her kitchen and started experimenting. \u201cThose experiments spiraled into Brazilian Babe Hot Sauce,\u201d she said. The solopreneur now produces small-batch, all natural, preservative-free hot sauces.<\/p>\n She was seeking $9,800 in funding to move beyond her solo operation and work with a co-packager to process, package and label products and for marketing. \u201cI\u2019ve been waiting for months to move forward to co-packaging. I\u2019m very, very grateful,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\n Oliveira, who attended Montclair\u2019s School of Communication and Media, applied for the Ignite program<\/a> after competing in the accelerated MBA program. \u201cParticipating in the Pitch Competition was truly an enriching endeavor,\u201d she says. \u201cThe insight I gained through the program allowed me to understand what information about my product was pertinent to the panel of judges, some of whom were seasoned investors. This allowed me to grow as a business owner and now, I am more equipped than ever to lead Brazilian Babe Hot Sauce to new horizons.\u201d<\/p>\n D\u2019Agostino and Oliveira were among five entrepreneurs who were awarded investments. All 11 of the pitch participants graduated from the Ignite Entrepreneurs @ MSU program. Ignite, a 20-week program that runs twice a year, was created following the COVID-19 pandemic, as a way to help current or existing entrepreneurs, both on campus and in the community, as they launch or grow their businesses. The program consists of self-paced learning through on-demand, virtual content, as well as expert and faculty mentorship, in-person events and workshops and an opportunity to pitch for seed funding. Ignite is free to Montclair students and costs community members $199.<\/p>\n The Pitch Day contestants also received coaching on their pitches in advance of the competition. The business school partners with the New Jersey Small Business Development Centers (NJSBDC) and several area businesses to sponsor the event, including Len Harac of Harac Consulting and Sue Hollenberg, Duncan Miller and Ryan Moore of Montclair Film. \u201cThese folks really helped train our pitch participants on the key ingredients for the pitch, like profit projections and compelling storytelling \u2013 we\u2019re so grateful for their expertise,\u201d said Elizabeth Rich, co-director of the Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. This was the first in-person pitch event since before the pandemic in 2019. The event was not held in 2022.<\/p>\n Each entrepreneur had only five minutes to make their case and another five minutes to answer questions. Eleven Montclair alumni, students and friends pitched everything from holistic dog-grooming to administrative\/professional organizing services and from hot sauces to hair products. The judges had the discretion to award one of 11 business owners the entire prize money or divvy it up among several winners.<\/p>\n The judges included Len Harac, president of Harac Consulting; Jason Frasca, co-director of the MIX Lab and co-founder of Emergent Futures Lab; Arielle Loren, CEO and founder of 100K Incubator; and Okey Okuzu, Montclair adjunct management professor and founder and CEO of InStrat Global Health Solutions.<\/span><\/p>\n Before announcing the recipients of the seed funding, Harac told the pitch participants that he believed all 11 entrepreneurs would succeed but that ultimately, the panel chose \u201cthe businesses we thought the money would most help.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cEverybody did a great job,\u201d he said. \u201cSpeaking for my fellow judges, we were quite impressed, and you all should be very proud of yourselves.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n While some participants walked away with no money, judge Kelly Brozyna, CEO and state director of NJSBDC, echoed Harac\u2019s remarks, and urged entrepreneurs to take advantage of no-cost services provided by the organization\u2019s network.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cEverybody\u2019s presentations were phenomenal,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n To make a donation to the Feliciano School of Business visit: <\/span>Give Now – Make A Gif<\/strong>t<\/span><\/a> and select Feliciano School of Business from the dropdown menu. Your donation can help inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs!<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Information about additional Pitch Day 2023 winners:<\/strong><\/p>\n Sienna Grant Mitsak, a senior in Visual Arts with a minor in Entrepreneurship, received $5,000 for her Flourish by Sage<\/a>, a naturally derived, sustainable hair products business. Mitsak shared her story of creating her brand after embarking on her own natural hair journey. The company CEO and founder said she struggled to find products that worked for her, surveyed 100 people and found that 94% of them also were unhappy with current products on the market and knew she could fill that niche. Today, she sells her products in hair salons and her business, which launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, has earned $50,000 since 2021.<\/p>\n Mitsak was seeking $20,000 to work with a co-packager and for biodegradable packaging for her hair souffl\u00e9s, as well as for social media and marketing assistance. Afterward, Mitsak said she was happy with her award.<\/p>\n \u201cIt feels amazing,\u201d she said, adding that the cash infusion means \u201cthey believe in the brand. It will help Sage get to the next level of entrepreneurship and flourish.\u201d<\/p>\n Montclair sophomore Anacia Sessoms, CEO and founder of Enchantment of Gardens<\/a>, a creative sustainable brand that upcycles textiles into arty, creative fashion, received $2,000. With a goal of decreasing textile waste, Sessoms creates one-of-a-kind fashion for customers.<\/p>\n \u201cMy mission is to create a connection between our customers, where they can explore their fashion while identifying with a piece that\u2019s only meant for them,\u201d she explained. \u201cWe are living artworks and we are our own canvases; through fashion we can feel safe, secure and supported.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n![](\"\/responsive-media\/cache\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/06\/042623_0734_FCE_Pitch_Contest-LAROSA.jpg.3.2x.generic.jpg.0.1x.generic.jpg\"\/)
\nSienna Grant Mitsak, a senior in Visual Arts with a minor in Entrepreneurship, received $5,000 for her Flourish by Sage, a naturally derived, sustainable hair products business. Cynthia Sepulveda, owner of Flaco Coquito, also received $5,000 for her non-alcoholic coquito-infused tea. Montclair sophomore Anacia Sessoms, CEO and founder of Enchantment of Gardens, a creative sustainable brand that upcycles textiles into arty, creative fashion, received $2,000.<\/p>\n![](\"\/responsive-media\/cache\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/06\/Sage.jpg.0.1x.generic.jpg\"\/)
![](\"\/responsive-media\/cache\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/06\/Anacia.jpg.0.1x.generic.jpg\"\/)