Six Oregon and Southwest Washington startups are vying for grants from the American Heart Association as part of the nonprofit’s EmPOWERED to Serve Business Accelerator.
The program is open to women founders and entrepreneurs whose businesses and organizations enable equitable access to good health. The six finalists will pitch to a panel of judges Sept. 30. The first place winner will receive $75,000 and the second place will receive $30,000. A “fan favorite” will get $15,000.
Here’s the six organizations pitching:
- Candice Smith, co-founder and CEO of Caregiven, an app designed to help families and friends cope with end-of-life care for a loved one. The company launched the app earlier this year and secured some early stage capital.
- Derenda Schubert, executive director of Bridge Meadows, which develops intergenerational affordable housing to support children in the foster care system.
- Maya Page, founder and CEO of Carry, an app to support pregnant people and new parents through movement and meditation exercises as well as other information. The startup is an alum of the Portland Incubator Experiment.
- Marie-Eve Monette, director of Creating Puentes, which helps organizations connect with non-native English speakers through language access workshops and consulting.
- Kelly Gonzalez with Natives for Community Engagement and Equity, which is a team of Indigenous scholars and advocates that work with Native and Non-Native groups to foster health equity.
- Tylia Johnson-Allen, executive director of Hands That Help, connects African, African American and Black, Indigenous and people of color to resources for personal growth and family development.
The winner will go on to a national competition. The grant funding for the competition comes from the Lamfrom Charitable Foundation.
The judges are: Sam Yamoah, chief strategy and innovation officer at Cambia Health; Dr. Stephen Noble, cardiothoracic surgeon and lead medical adviser to Live Chair Health; and Sally Bany, co-founder and trustee of Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation.
