Five women-owned consumer packaged goods brands will take the stage at The Town Hall by Skylight in New York City on November 5 for the Enthuse Foundation's 8th Annual Pitch Night — a live competition and benefit event where founders pitch directly to a panel of investors and industry leaders for a total prize package valued at more than $100,000.
The finalists were chosen from a pool of more than 200 applicants, each representing a brand generating between $100,000 and $1 million in annual revenue. That revenue band is deliberate: it defines a notoriously difficult funding gap for early-stage CPG founders who are too established for friends-and-family capital but too small to attract traditional venture interest. For food and beverage operators watching category trends, these five brands represent where consumer demand is moving.
The 2026 Finalists
This year's competing founders span several fast-growing food and beverage segments. Cotto, founded by Kendall Kransdorf, offers a cottage cheese-based dip tapping directly into the high-protein, better-for-you trend reshaping center-store and foodservice menus alike. Fermenteria, founded by Jade Chang Sheppard, produces probiotic fermented water kefir — a category drawing growing retailer and beverage industry attention. Noodo, from founder Liana Krasnow, brings premium pasta sauces to market, while Veggie Vice, founded by Riddhima Kapoor, offers freeze-dried veggie chips in the booming better-snacking segment. Rounding out the group is Cartwheel, a better first aid brand from founder Joanna Shu.
Judges evaluating the pitches include Kim Lawton, CEO of Enthuse Marketing and Co-Founder of the Enthuse Foundation; Heidi Dillon, CEO and Founder of Bloom Talent Studio and former CEO of Distill Ventures; Diana Franco, SVP of Initiatives at Women.NYC; and Nicole Angel, Founder of Angel Ventures.
Why the Funding Gap Matters
"The founders on our stage have already proven that people want what they're making," said Kim Lawton, Co-Founder of the Enthuse Foundation. "Too often, this is exactly the moment the rest of the system says 'not yet.' At the Enthuse Foundation, we say yes."
That gap between proof-of-concept and institutional investment is a structural challenge the foundation has been working to close since its inception. To date, the organization has invested more than $1 million in cash and services in women-owned businesses through its pitch competition and grant programs — a milestone that positions Pitch Night as more than a networking event. For buyers, distributors, and retail partners tracking emerging food and beverage brands, the finalist roster offers an early look at concepts with demonstrated consumer demand and founder-led momentum.
Pitch Night begins with cocktails and networking at 6 p.m., with live pitches starting at 7 p.m. Event sponsors include Diageo, Morgan Stanley, Kendra Scott, Webster Bank, and Citrin Cooperman, among others. Tickets are available through the Enthuse Foundation's event page.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
