Winners of the 2nd Annual WinLAVA Pitching Competition

Three outstanding winners chosen in 2nd Annual WinLAVA Business Plan / Pitch Competition

Three outstanding winners were selected March 8th (International Women’s Day) by a team of distinguished judges in the Finals of the 2nd Annual WinLAVA Business Plan / Pitch Competition.

Winners were:
Dale Stuart, StarQuick Solutions Inc 

Angia Grigas, OneGo Inc.
Kathryn Arnold, Secrets of the Red Carpets

Judges for the event were:
Julia Dilts, Maverick Angels
Petra Griffith, Grandpoint Bank
Heather McCormick, Credo Law LLP and Pasadena Angels
John Peate, Peate Ventures

Finalists in the pitch competition before a sold out crowd at Century City were Marci Norkin-Schoepel of EcoPas LLC and Rebecca Ordonez of Mustered. Alternates included Yvette Ayers of Rare Attitude and Melissa Schulman of Yoga-Urt.

Prizes for the three winners were donated by Keiretsu Forum SoCal, Maverick Angels, the Business Technology Center of Los Angeles County, and Tech Coast Angels.

We will be accepting applications for the 3rd WinLAVA Business Plan / Pitch Competition beginning in October, 2013. If you know of a promising woman-owned/co-owned small business interested in coaching and growing her firm (especially innovative, creative, and/or disruptive enterprises in ground-breaking sectors of interest to the investment community), tell her to contact a member of the WinLAVA Steering Committee to learn more.

Winners of the Women in LAVA Pitching Event

Women in LAVA worked with 12 candidates on their pitches for VC, Angels and private equity investors. Five were chosen to present at the final event held March 8th competition. 

Women in LAVA will be holding this event on an annual basis and offering free classes to members during the course of the year.

I am pleased to announce that three of the candidates I coached were picked as one finalist (Caroline Hall of Loyaltopia) and two alternates, (Yael Benamour of Your Music Corporation and Grace Chang of Event Sorbet). 

Here are the results. http://bit.ly/xRYlrw

Thank you for spreading the word.

The Why of Pitching for Investors

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQsCXrfth90

Speech given on February 8th of 2012.  The audience was a group of women we are preparing for a pitching contest hosted by Women in LAVA.

Yes! There are five key ways to keep your clients

I have been reading and reading about how customers in today's business environment move from vendor to vendor with a drop of a hat.  No one seems to have a clear idea, but my theory is:  buyers mirror their dating habits. And the younger generation is into 'hook ups' not relationships.. 

But the truth is the truth:  humans are unpredictable.  One day it's the Beatles the next it's The Rolling Stones.  What is a service provider to do? 

I ran across and article by Jim Billington in The Harvard Management Update.  Although written in 1996, it still holds some tried and true ideas that still work today. 

So break out your CRM files and: 

1.  Identify Core Clients: who loves your service and why?
2.  Measure what matters:  Measure your individual customer's satisfaction not  the 'market satisfaction
3. Analyze defections: Why did they leave - only the truth please
4. Mass customize: How can you service each client according to their specific needs 
5. Learn to meet unspoken needs: Need to understand what makes the relationship tick

 At Strategies for Growth we work to consolidate core clients, train and support our clients in the development of client relationships to insure steady revenue streams for company growth and profitability,

Tech Coast Angels 6th Annual LA Fast Pitch Competition

 6th Annual Fast Pitch LA 2011

The Tech Coast Angels 6th Annual LA Fast Pitch Competition is February 24th at UCLA Anderson School of Business. CEOs of 8-10 start ups, selected from more than 100 applicants, will have 90 seconds to pitch their companies to a panel of judges. The winner will be invited to present their company and business plan at a Tech Coast Angels deal-screening session.

CEOs of Southern California-based companies who want to apply to be a Fast Pitch competitor should submit an application now at www.pitchtheangels.com. The deadline for applications is February 5th. Applications are already being screened by members of Tech Coast Angels, so apply today. More than 20 CEOs will be invited to participate in pre-event coaching sessions in February where TCA members and other coaches will provide them with tips and guidance on their pitches. The coaches will select the best companies to appear onstage at Fast Pitch on February 24th.

The 6th annual event will include presentations from CEOs and venture capitalists on funding and starting a company, and the Fast Pitch competition. A light dinner and refreshments will be served after the program at a networking event that will be attended by investors, entrepreneurs and other industry experts.

In the meantime, startup CEOs, please submit your application now. The sooner you get your application in the better.


I have been a coach to the start ups for the last 5 years and I encourage all my entrepreneur friends to apply.  If anything, it gives you visibility and ACCESS to investors.  Go for it!!!