Little Light Series voted fan favorite at Launch Greensboro’s Capital Connects pitch competition

As he looks to scale his business, Sterling Freeman received validation this week that his company, Little Light Series, is on the right track.

Freeman was voted the fan favorite at Launch Greensboro’s annual Capital Connects pitch competition Wednesday night, taking home $1,000.

Little Light Series – which encompasses Freeman’s children’s books and online arts education program called Little Dreamers Character Art – was named a 2023 TBJ Startup to Watch for its scaling goals in hiring, fundraising and creating an app.

GO DEEPER: How Freeman has used art to teach numbers, letters and shapes to 3,000 children

Freeman is looking to raise $35,000 for the development, marketing and operations of building an app that will house pre-recorded classes and offer livestream options through a subscription model and in-app purchases.

“With Little Dreamers Character Art, we can help children learn these basic skills using their greatest skill: their imagination,” Freeman said.

He had earned his spot at Capital Connects last May, winning Launch Greensboro’s spring 2022 Demo Day.

For more than 20 years, Launch Greensboro, the entrepreneurial arm and initiative of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, has hosted Capital Connects to highlight local startups and connect them with potential investors. Successful companies such as Guerrilla RF and Fluree have met some of their investors at this event.

Asheville beverage company wins $7,500

A total of 13 businesses from North Carolina and one from New York competed in Capital Connects.

Sarilla, an Asheville-based founded and led by women, took home $7,500 for winning the 6-minute pitch competition. Sarilla manufactures non-alcoholic, sparkling beverages made with organic, fair trade tea leaves and botanicals.

“When I was in my 20’s, I quit drinking,” founder and CEO Sara Stender Delaney said. “I couldn’t imagine my life without champagne. Even today, when I go out to eat, I’m still offered a diet Coke or a sugary mocktail as the only alternative to alcohol.”

Sarilla offers six flavors free from alcohol, refined sugar, pesticides and artificial ingredients.

In the 2-minute pitch competition, Hybridwerx, from Rochester, N.Y, took home top prize of $1,500.

Founder Corey Mack said that for every hour a surgeon spends with a patient, there are two hours of paperwork. To address this issue, Hybridwerx has created a camera-based solution to help surgeons streamline administrative processes.

Find out more about the other companies who presented below.

At the event, Launch Greensboro also honored Ursula Dudley Oglesby as Entrepreneur of the Year. Oglesby, the CEO of Dudley Beauty Corp., took over the hair care and cosmetics company that her parents began in the 1960’s.

Capital Connects 2023 presenters