Eight Connecticut women-owned businesses will compete for a combined $100,000 in grants during the Women’s Business Development Council’s inaugural Catalyst Symposium later this month.
The finalists will pitch their ventures live on Tuesday, Sept. 30, at Trinity College in Hartford, where four winners will each receive a $25,000 Accelerate Grant, the WBDC said Thursday.
The half-day event, which organizers plan to hold annually, will feature networking, workshops, a marketplace of women-owned businesses and the Accelerate Pitch Competition. The symposium is intended to equip women entrepreneurs with tools and strategies to build and sustain small businesses, while fostering connections and inspiration.
Attendees will begin the day at the WBDC Marketplace before moving into breakout sessions and the live pitch competition.
The eight finalists are:
- Cailin McBee, Balance Massage & Wellness Center, Newington.
- Ali Lazowski, Bare Life, West Hartford.
- Monica Beaudoin and Alexandra Pilon, Bloom Bake Shop, Hartford.
- Dr. Mahri Wrightington, PD Monster, the Quaker Hill section of Waterford.
- Sadie Marshall, Sadie’s Professional Cleaning Services, Hamden.
- Tammy Gerhard and Sarah May, Silk City Coffee, Manchester.
- Dr. Amanda Swan, Swan Integrative Health and Wellness, Glastonbury, and
- Priscilla Igram and Christine Orlando, The Studio Fairfield, Fairfield.
The Women’s Business Development Council, founded in 1997, provides training, grants and support to help women-owned businesses start, scale and succeed. Based in Stamford, the WBDC has regional offices in Hartford and Waterbury.
