Pompea EntreprenHER

An EmpowHERing Women’s Business Pitch Competition

Thursday, May 6, 2021, 5:30 p.m.

The Pompea EntreprenHER is a Women’s business pitch competition that provides a platform for Women Entrepreneurs to showcase their business, passion, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit. EntreprenHER is more than just a pitch competition. The goals of EntreprenHER are to:

Empower Women
Help Female Founders improve their professional skills, build connections and network with investors
Assist these women led businesses with gaining brand exposure
Connect female entrepreneurs with mentors and investors
Unleash the growth potential of women entrepreneurs
Support the growth and success of women-led small businesses

Think of the Pompea EntreprenHER as providing Female Founders the fuel to fly!

Why participate in EntreprenHER?

Share your inspirational entrepreneurial journey and showcase the SUPERWOMAN you are!
Walk away with potential access to funds, scholarships, accelerators and more
Showcase the innovation and scalability of your business models
Network with potential investors and collaborators
An opportunity for creating awareness and expanding brand exposure. A platform to get your business name out there!
Networking opportunities and mentorship from the University of New Haven’s Women’s Leadership Council

ELIGIBILITY

The Pompea EntreprenHER pitch competition is not limited to any specific industries
EntreprenHER is open to ALL women entrepreneurs with businesses in Connecticut, whether they’re a current UNewHaven student, alumni, or not
Applicants must be a start-up business led by a female CEO or be a female-founded/co-founded business with at least 50% of the founders being female or that self-identify as female
The business must be located within the state of Connecticut
The business should be at least at the startup phase or very close to launch

How EntreprenHER Works

The Women’s Leadership Council will be reviewing all applications that are submitted
Applications will be reviewed and the top 5 will be selected based on the following:

Scorecard
Problem Identification
Feasibility (can it be done?)
Desirability (does it satisfy customers’ needs/wants)
Sustainability (long term success)
Business Phase (ideation, developing, advanced business phase)
Financial Viability (is it profitable)
Geographical location (vested in local community in Connecticut)

Five Female Founders will be selected from the pool of applicants to pitch their business on competition night on May 6th!

The Pitch

You will have 3-5 mins to pitch your business to a panel of judges on May 6th
You will present your pitch live in a power point format
The judges will ask you questions along with a Q&A from the audience
Judging will take place the night of and the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner will be announced!

The Prize

Enter to win CASH PRIZES and MENTORSHIP from our Faculty and those in the Profession.

Meet The Judges

Debra Abbott Walker

Debra is a 20+ year veteran in the financial services industry leading sales teams in that space with a handful of leading companies. Deb focuses her recruiting and new business development in a couple of underserved markets including women and LGBTQ+ to name just a few.

Joan Caruso

Joan is an accomplished leader in the field of executive coaching. She recently retired from The Ayers Group where she was Managing Director, Executive Coaching since 2000. In this role, Joan managed a roster of 300 active executive coaches and consultants.

Susan D’Agostino

Susan spent more than 20 years at the senior executive level in human resources and administrative services management. Susan received her MBA in International Marketing from University of New Haven and is currently a member of the Pompea College of Business Advisory Board and the Non-Profit Institute Advisory Board, along with serving on the Women’s Leadership Council.

Lisa Delfini

Lisa Delfini is a partner in the MARCUM LLP's New Haven office. She has over 28 years of experience in both public accounting and private industry, including 17 years auditing companies of all sizes.

Jessica Dodge

Jessica is responsible for managing grant and non-financial initiatives targeted at supporting entrepreneurial growth in the State of Connecticut. She oversees all CTNext programs, shaping the direction and impact of current and new initiatives, as well as developing and managing organizational strategy, budgeting, compliance, and administration to name a few.

Debra Logan-Rabb

Debra has over 20 years’ experience as a senior executive in IT, working for Fortune 100 companies such as Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan Chase and PepsiCo. Her skills and experience spans Business Relationship Management, Application Development & Delivery and Technology Risk Management. Debra serves on two school boards and is an active member of Jack and Jill of America Inc. as well as the UNH Women’s Leadership Council.

What Have the Pompea Women been up to?

Sport Management Students Develop Marketing Plans for Professional Sports Team

As part of a unique hands-on project, students in a “Sport Marketing” class at the University created a marketing plan for the Connecticut Sun and had the opportunity to present their plans to a group of leaders of the WNBA team.

Students, Alumni Discuss Importance of Mentorship and Connection

As part of a recent panel event, students and alumni shared with the University community their own experiences as mentors and mentees. They discussed two unique new mentorship programs for Pompea College of Business students that enable them to connect and learn from each other as well as PCOB grads.

Pompea College of Business Hosts Competition for Women Entrepreneurs

The second annual EntreprenHER event, which will take place on Thursday, March 31, at 5:30 p.m. at the University’s Orange Campus, will bring together women entrepreneurs from across Connecticut and members of the University community. It will enable finalists to pitch their businesses to a panel of judges and create networking opportunities for students.

Chargers, Local Students Come Together to Support Individuals Facing Homelessness

Gabriela Garcia-Perez ’24, the founding director for the Community Integration Mentoring Program, recently hosted an event in New Haven that brought students of diverse backgrounds together to create care bags for individuals facing homelessness.