Six Things Every Founder Should Learn from This Year’s Pitch Competition

The Enthuse Foundation returned to The Town Hall by Skylight in New York City on November 6, 2025, for the 7th Annual Women Founders Pitch Competition. With midtown Manhattan as the backdrop, we celebrated the vision, grit, and ingenuity of women building the next generation of CPG brands.

Over 350 entrepreneurs nationwide submitted applications, and five remarkable finalists presented their business ideas to a distinguished panel of judges. The judges included Deepa Gandhi, Co-Founder of Dagne Dover; Claudia Schubert, a Senior Advisor at Boston Consulting Group; Nicole Angel, Founder, Angel Ventures NYC, and Eugene Khabensky, VP of Strategic Initiatives at DIAGEO.

More than 500 people attended this event, both in person and virtually, officially making it the largest Enthuse Foundation Pitch Competition on record.

Click here for the full press release and recording, and check out our 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 recaps.

Each year, we look back at lessons learned and takeaways for future finalists. Here are our musings from 2025.

1. Highlight your growth. Numbers talk, especially in this economy. This year, we were particularly intentional in prioritizing companies that demonstrated clear growth and consumer demand. Ensure your application and pitch deck clearly demonstrates an upward trajectory (and that your numbers match in application and pitch deck).

2. Understand the judging criteria. When you are applying to a pitch competition, think of your initial application as a chance to compete in the event. For example, if you apply for “Shark Tank,” you are really hoping to be considered for the show. However, once you get the invite, your pitch will be tailored for the specific Sharks. The same concept applies for our event. We use a different rubric for entry into the Pitch Competition vs. selecting who will ultimately win the prize. First goal – get to the next round.

3. Keep it simple. It’s tempting (especially with the tools available today) to pull out all the tricks for a presentation deck. Animation, fonts, all the trimmings. However, when a deck is saved as a PDF or displayed on another computer, those fun elements may not translate the way they were intended. With so much potentially on the line, remember that a KISS (keep it simple and straightforward) approach might be the best way to go.

4. Recognize the vibe. The Enthuse Foundation Pitch Competition is held in the evening in midtown Manhattan with a cocktail reception beforehand. There’s a certain gravitas to the event. Kimberle Lau, founder of Bake Me Healthy and a 2025 finalist, has worn her notorious "Tough Cookie" costume for other competitions. However, she decided not to for this event as it didn’t feel on brand. She took home runner-up honors and admitted that she’s not sure if that would be the case with her gimmicky attire.

5. Embrace social media. Content is queen, and almost all of this year’s finalists were giving their followers a behind-the-scenes look at their experience. For example, Carolina Lopez, founder of BEJOU and a 2025 finalist, posted a carousel of photos documenting her time in New York City with her mom.

6. Don’t give up. Four out of five of this year’s Pitch Competition finalists were returning applicants. Every program and opportunity is worth pursuing until it no longer exists. As long as you continue to meet the criteria, keep submitting an application.

Bottom line: In summary, remember to hit the GAS. Keep growing, keep applying, and keep things simple.