When Maryann Kilgallon in October walked into a Philadelphia warehouse, it took her breath away.
The warehouse was the set for season two of Comcast NBCUniversal's "Founding in Color" documentary series, where Kilgallon, founder and CEO of Orlando-based Pink Lotus Technologies Inc., would spend the next three days shooting for the series.
Kilgallon told Orlando Inno she was amazed by the 60 crew members and array of cameras in the building. "I thought, 'This is really a big production.' It was bigger than what I even imagined."
Just three weeks earlier, Kilgallon got a congratulatory email full of virtual confetti that let her know she had been chosen to be featured in the show's second season.
The episode that focused on Kilgallon and three other entrepreneurs from around the U.S. first aired on Peacock Feb. 16, giving Kilgallon and her company national exposure as she searches for her seed fundraising round's lead investor. Each season of "Founding in Color" is a three-episode series that highlights the successes and struggles of Black and Latino startup founders, whose share of U.S. venture capital dollars typically is less than 10% combined.
Pink Lotus Technologies, a 2022 Orlando Inno Startup to Watch and a University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program client, is the maker of POMM Kids and POMM Silver, which are wearable safety devices for children and seniors. Inspired by a news story Kilgallon heard more than six years ago of a child who died after being left accidentally in a hot vehicle, POMM shares data with first responders and families including allergies, emergency contact information and vital signs — and it's integrated with thousands of emergency call centers in North America
Here, Kilgallon shares more with Orlando Inno about how she got a spot on the show and what she hopes it does for her startup and others like it:
How did you get on the radar of Comcast NBCUniversal?
I met another entrepreneur [who had been on the show] five years ago when I went to a conference, eMerge Americas. We connected on LinkedIn. She did a post on LinkedIn and said, "Hey, applications for 'Founding in Color' are closing in about a week. Make sure you get in there if you're a founder." I never heard of "Founding in Color." So it caught my interest, and I clicked it, filled out an application and I received a call or an email, maybe a week or two later. Then I had three or four interviews following that.
What were you asked in those interviews?
They were interested in why did I start this company, and they were intrigued that I completely switched to this from restaurant management. [The death of a child accidentally left in a hot daycare center van] — something so dramatic that happened in the news four miles from my home, it really was a change in the course of my life. It was a moment that I feel was destined for me to see, to become aware of the situation and decide to take action. That was what they were interested in, knowing that I decided to do something to really make a difference to help protect children who are in the hands of caregivers.
What was the shooting schedule like?
I got there Monday, and left Thursday afternoon. We had private drivers pick us up at the airport. They treated us with a white-glove experience. They had a crew come in from Los Angeles. They had set designers, makeup, hair — I mean everything. It was a full production. I had a wardrobe consultant. I had to turn my camera on in my closet at home. They helped me pick out the right outfit. We had two different outfits, and then we had an "uh-oh outfit" in case there was a spill.
Was it tough at any point?
I had gotten the flu when I went up there. I tested negative for Covid. On the second day, I was in a corner in the greenroom, and I told everybody. I wore a mask. But when it came to be on the camera, I literally had to become an actress. I should get an Oscar for that.
What do you hope viewers of the show take away?
I always say that I'm a cheerleader for people who want to start a business. I've been a serial entrepreneur since I was a kid. I always had side hustles for lunch money, for school clothes. For me, it's important for people to see our stories and say, "I can do it." There's a lot of self doubt in the beginning. I tell people, it doesn't leave.
The series tells the stories of minority entrepreneurs. What other support do founders like you need?
I feel I've been overlooked so much. I've been working so hard for five years, and I'm still looking for a lead investor. It's a struggle when you hear and read about other people getting so much money for just an idea, and nothing's even in place. But then you see they went to some Ivy League school, and it's something that hits you in the pit of your stomach. I'm waiting for the times to change. I see a lot of companies talking about it, but they're not taking action.
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