WE Fellowship Big Pitch Event
Tune on on October 20 at 5:00 pm to cheer on our 5 WE Fellowship Finalists!
Judges
Cecile Hardy
Founder of NOLA Couture, high-end custom fashion design brand founded in the wake of Hurricane Katrina with multiple locations including one in the new Louis Armstrong Airport; co-founder of Poke Loa, the first poke restaurant in Louisiana with five locations in the New Orleans area. The design of Cecile’s brand, NOLA Couture, offers a unique way to showcase New Orleanians’ hometown pride and includes manufacturing capabilities through sister company, NOLA Sewn. Through NOLA Sewn, Cecile recently assisted the local manufacturing of 250,000+ PPE masks and gowns in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cecile contributed to the opening of the new Louis Armstrong airport, which sparked her newest business endeavour as partner in a wine bar and food concept that will be opening soon next to Cafe du Monde in the airport.
Kelisha Garrett
Principal Consultant at Gen-X Consulting Group, a firm focused in business development, strategic sourcing and vendor compliance management; the Executive Director of the New Orleans Regional Black Chamber of Commerce which covers a 10-parish region in southern Louisiana and the Chief Operating Officer & Vice- President of the Louisiana Chamber of Commerce Foundation. In addition, she is a licensed Realtor in the State of Louisiana. During the lifecycle of her prior careers, she has worked in pharmaceutical research, financial advisory as a stockbroker, a legal nurse consultant, and a licensed realtor in the state of Louisiana.
Jay Taffet
Founder of Gracen Jules, venture development firm focused on start-up guidance, growth consulting, and capital raise support, as well as Airfoil Angels, a Gulf South angel investor network focused on connecting “founders and funders” towards process-friendly seed, startup and growth capital placements. Jay is an entrepreneurship instructor for college and community start-up programs and is an accomplished business and creative writer. He is also a long-time commercial pilot, and active in private air projects and aircraft transactions.
Finalists
Vibrant Market is a Clean Beauty, Wellness and Lifestyle store + spa where we put holistic health and efficacy first in skincare, services, resources, supplements, and makeup. We work to provide our clients with resources to be the most Vibrant versions of themselves. Inside and out, mind and body.