Emilie Plante, Founder of Excellent Speakers Academy, an online academy that harnesses language learning techniques along with acting and storytelling to help ESL (English as a second language) speakers communicate with confidence, took home the evening’s jury-selected top prize of $10,000, as well as the $1,000 cohort award. 

Shaleen Ratansi is the founder of Aiya ayiA, an ethical, plant-based luxury handbag brand disrupting the fashion industry. Aiya ayiA is a circular company that repurposes leftover agricultural materials to create zero-waste, clean fashion. The brand is purpose-driven and built to give back, with a portion of profits donated to organizations that help rescue girls and women from abuse & poverty and provide them with support, education, and tools to empower them to mold their own future. 

Taylor Pogue is the Founder of Buttery Foods, a ready-made meal service that provides busy families with delicious, well-balanced meals. As the grand winner of the 2021 Pre-Accelerator Demo Day, she took home the evening’s jury-selected top prize of $10,000. Taylor believes that “the only way to reach your dreams is through hard work and grit, so that when the opportunities arise, you’re ready to run with them.”

Julie Tzeng is the Founder of Arshae, a footwear startup that is redesigning the lifecycle of shoes. Julie emerged as the big winner of the ELLEvate Women Entrepreneurs Pre-Accelerator Demo Day in 2020, taking home the top award of $10,000.