On Sept. 4th and 5th, Commerce Catalyst hosted its first-ever female founder pitch competition as a part of its Catalyst25: Ecommerce Elevated conference.
Commerce Catalyst received 103 applications. Candidates were required to be female founders of a consumer packaged goods (CPG) product with under $1 million in lifetime revenue. Applicants were then narrowed down to a top 10 who pitched their business on Thursday, Sept. 4. The top three were then selected to pitch again on Friday, Sept. 5.
First place: Tuff Pops
A first-place prize of $20,000 was awarded to Tuff Pops — frozen protein pops that Mallory Stevens created with hopes of making protein intake more convenient.
“Winning the competition was incredibly humbling,” Mallory says. “Every single founder that presented both in the preliminary round and in the final round was so impressive, so poised. Running a business is tough; having this validation of my product and my brand means the world to me.”
According to its website, Tuff Pops started in 2023 when Mallory texted her husband, Kory Stevens, about the idea of frozen protein treats. It isn’t the duo’s first venture — both Mallory and Kory were recognized as Forbes 30 Under 30 honorees for their shoe company, TAFT, which was acquired in 2022.
Tuff Pops offers three flavors: Cha Cha Chai, Double Dutch Coca, and Crème Brûlée. Each Tuff Pop contains 12g of protein sourced from grass-fed whey protein isolate.
“I started Tuff Pops because I believe in the power of protein for everyone — the busy mom, the growing teenager, the late-night snacker. I also believe that everything we eat can and should be delicious,” Mallory says.
Second place: Daily Shade
Daily Shade came in second place and won a prize of $3,000. Daily Shade is a true zinc sunscreen company founded by Physician Associate Breelyn Vanleeuwen. Valeeuwen created Daily Shade after a popular sunscreen on the market caused a bad reaction for her daughter.
“The natural mineral sunscreen I switched to made our daughter look like a ghost,” Vanleeuwen says. “I wanted [Daily Shade] to be clean, safe, natural and ghost-free.”
This was the first pitch competition Vanleeuwen had ever entered.
“It was an incredible experience to be on the stage talking about my product from a business lens,” she says.
Third place: Bonobo Baby
Third place was awarded to Lori Palmer, who started Bonobo Baby with one product: The Bonobo Baby Bidet, a fine-mist spray attachment for baby wipes meant to help parents clean up their babies’ sticky diapers.
“I started this business because I knew how much this simple product could help other parents,” Palmer says.
Palmer explains she considered herself an underdog when she entered the competition because she started out as an alternate. In the end, she walked away with $2,000.
“While I didn’t win, I’m proud of how far I came,” she says. “Losing only fuels me to work harder and push even further.”