If you are familiar with VSEDC, you know us by our signature events: small purse pitch competitions for Black History Month, Women’s History Month, and Latino Heritage Month which allow local entrepreneurs to pitch their small businesses to lending officers and the community. It has been a dream in the making to hold a grand pitch competition with substantial cash prizes for our clients. Three years later, with the support of First Citizens Bank, Citi, Comerica, Citizens Business Bank, and US Bank, our dream was realized through the inaugural VSEDC Grand Pitch Competition that took place in November of 2024.
The Grand Pitch Competition was a smashing success and a testament to the strong community of business owners in South Los Angeles that VSEDC has fostered for nearly 45 years. Vermont Slauson is committed to moving the needle for small businesses and getting business owners the training and capital they need.
“We are proud to support small businesses in a myriad of ways: technical assistance, loans, business education, and now a pitch competition for local businesses that gives entrepreneurs vital access to capital,” said Corey Carleton, VP of Advancement at VSEDC and event architect.
“I have seen firsthand the impact of the work VSEDC is doing and how they are changing the trajectory of small biz in our community. The number one reason small businesses don’t succeed past their first year is capital: capital to start the business, but also capital to maintain the business. VSEDC is providing tools and resources for them to find that access.” – Daleyna Adkinson, formerly PUMA Group
At the Grand Pitch Competition, held at Centrl Office in El Segundo and moderated by Daleyna Adkinson, formerly of the PUMA Group, five small business owners had the opportunity to pitch their companies to a carefully selected panel of nine judges comprised of lending institutions, investors, venture capital funds, and industry specialists. Our panel of judges represented a breadth of knowledge of financing, industry experience, and investing:
- Austin Clements, Investor from Slauson & Co.
- Diann Valentine, TV Personality and Owner of Glow + Flow Beauty
- Kareem Grimes, Actor and entrepreneur
- Tai Beauchamp, TV Personality and Chief Brand Officer of Brown Girl Jane
- Glen Friedman, Philanthropist, The Change Reaction
- Jorge Munoz, Lender from First Citizens Bank
- Dwayne Isaac, Managing Director of the Citi Wealth Group
- Jess Tirado, Lender from Citizens Business Bank
- Lizbeth Da Broy, Lender from US Bank
Each business owner had four minutes to pitch their company and were given six minutes of live feedback from the judges. These six minutes of real-time feedback were invaluable for each company as each judge knows how to grow a winning business.
VSEDC offered three grand prizes, each the size of a typical microloan, giving small business owners the capital necessary to take their businesses to the next level.
The grand prize of $25,000, sponsored by First Citizens Bank, was awarded to Genelle Brooks-Petty of All Chill, Inc.
“I want to shout out Vermont Slauson and all the team – Rashunda, Mario, Tameeka…Jizelle and Tammy! Being a first place winner means my ideas are valid…someone else believes the heart and ideas I put into All Chill as a business. It means we’re doing what we’re supposed to do: connect through cream,” first place winner Genelle Brooks-Petty, from All Chill
The second place prize of $15,000, sponsored by Citi, was awarded to Brittany Golden of IGL Nails.
“This was an amazing experience. Winning second place means that I have something people understand and that they believe in. I feel charged up to get out there and bring that education to people about inclusivity in the beauty world. Second place means that I can do that with this funding,”
second place winner Brittany Golden, from IGL Nails
The third place prize of $10,000, sponsored by Comerica, was awarded to Crystal Crawford of Liberated Eyewear.
“I would like to give VSEDC a shoutout for recognizing what the businesses in South LA are doing. All the resources they have to support us are very meaningful. I’d like to give a personal shoutout to Rashunda Rene, [who coached us for the competition.] She’s just phenomenal in mentorship. She’s such a pillar of this entire program. She did one-on-one coaching to make sure I was assured of myself before doing [the Grand Pitch Competition].” third place winner Crystal Crawford, from Liberated Eyewear
Out of the five companies, four were women-owned and four were Black-owned. The owners and their companies that competed were:
- Adé Neff, Ride On! Bike Shop/Co-Op
- Crystal Crawford, Liberated Eyewear
- Brittany Golden, IGL Nails
- Tania Nguyen, Selects Active Beauty
- Genelle Brooks-Petty, All Chill, Inc.
Eligibility to compete required each business owner to be a current or former client of VSEDC and were required to have engaged in at least one of the seven cohorts we offer. Over 50 companies applied, with the final five chosen by third party consultants who specialize in startups and small businesses. Each of the five companies was extensively prepared for the Grand Pitch Competition, receiving over five hours of one-on-one coaching through their pitch and deck, plus an evaluation of their company financials, projections and market. Preparation for the Grand Pitch Competition also included peer-to-peer learning amongst the presenting businesses.
VSEDC ensured that the runners up, Tania Nguyen and Adé Neff, were compensated for the time invested in preparing for the program.
Jizelle Staana, founder of Creative Network Agency, which was in charge of production and streaming the event was thankful, “I want to dedicate thanks to the VSEDC team and Creative Network Agency, who were able to pull this complicated event together, and to the banks who support this program as sponsors. Both teams came together for an ambitious event and succeeded.” Corey Carleton added, “I was really happy how the Grand Pitch Competition came together. It is something we plan on growing in 2025 as we look for more partners, funding, and training opportunities for the community we serve at Vermont Slauson. The sky’s the limit for the Grand Pitch Competition.”
We at VSEDC cannot wait to see what new businesses will rise to the occasion for the next Grand Pitch Competition.
Watch the recap of the Grand Pitch Competition HERE and donate to the 2025 Grand Pitch Competition Prize Fund HERE.
The VSEDC Grand Pitch Competition was made possible by generous donations from First Citizens Bank, Citi, Comerica, Citizens Business Bank and US Bank.
