Finalists Announced for Pitch Slam 8
Six food brands were selected from a field of 12 for Thursday’s final round of NOSH’s Pitch Slam 8 presented by 301 Inc., the first edition of the pitch competition to be conducted virtually.
Representatives from Latin Goodness Foods, Uala Pure Purple Power, LÜME, Etalia Foods, Crave Natural, Seedible, Savorly, Rucksack Foods, Z&Z, Lil Bucks, Sweet Nothings and LUPii all faced off virtually in the semifinal round on Tuesday afternoon.
Of the semifinalists, Sweet Nothings, Etalia, Z&Z, Latin Goodness, LUPii and Savorly will move on to Thursday’s final round. Thursday’s winner will receive an advertising package with NOSH valued at $10,000 along with the coveted Pitch Slam trophy.
During the virtual competition each early-stage food brand had two minutes to pitch their products and make a case for why their brand has what it takes to be successful in the competitive natural food industry. The semifinal round judging panel included Derek Springston, CCO of design firm, Moxie Sozo, Poorvi Patodia, founder and CEO of snack brand Biena, Ryan Newcom, co-founder and senior principal fund manager at investment group 301 Inc. and Melissa Facchina, founder and CEO of operations firm Siddhi Ops.
“What has been really exciting for me to see is the quality of the innovations presented today,” said Patodia. “I was just blown away by the high quality of the presentation of the packaging and how well put together some of these brands are, as well as the food itself.”
Many of the participating brands offered consumers plant-based products with functional benefits. Purple sweet potato-based wellness brand Uala Pure Purple Power, lupini bean-based bar brand LUPii and sprouted buckwheat snack maker Lil Bucks all offered on-the-go options that utilize lesser known functional ingredients. In addition, Crave Natural pitched its “food as medicine” offering of superfood oatmeal while Seedible presented its spread offering nut-free protein from sesame seeds.
Other brands looked to innovate in the frozen section. Middle Eastern flatbread maker Z&Z, gluten-free pizza brand Etalia, cocktail and party bites maker Savorly and nutrient-dense empanada brand Mas Panadas presented diverse takes on frozen meals and appetizers, while spoonable smoothie brand Sweet Nothings brought innovation to the frozen fruit section.
The final round of Pitch Slam 8 will be livestreamed on nosh.com and NOSH’s social media platforms on June 11 from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. ET, featuring an extended five minute pitch session and live Q&A with entrepreneurs and judges. The winner will join past Pitch Slam winners including Know Brainer keto marshmallows, Beckon lactose-free ice cream, Creation Nation protein bar mixes, Watermelon Road dried fruit jerky, Tribali grass-fed frozen meat patties and Bronx Hot Sauce.
To view the full finalist announcement, view the video below.
