Madison-based clothes startup based by a lawyer wins prime ‘Challenge Pitch It’ prize
Any girl who’s gone to purchase skilled clothes has skilled firsthand the frustration of not having the identical variety of pockets as their male counterparts.
Entrepreneur Barbara Zabawa has invented an answer to this downside and lately shared her product with the moguls of Challenge Pitch It.
Zabawa is the founding father of Madison-based Pursesuitz Pocketwear, which received this week’s Peg Ann and David Gruber Challenge Pitch It Award, value $10,000.
She has invented a patent-pending undergarment with entrance waist pockets. The pockets are roomy sufficient to carry on a regular basis necessities like your pockets and keys. A Pursesuitz Pocketwear garment may be simply hid below a swimsuit or one other shirt.
A decade in the past, Zabawa, who’s a lawyer and medical assistant professor at UWM, had a case in entrance of the U.S. Supreme Courtroom. She was instructed to go away her bag at her workplace. As she was going via courthouse safety, she was requested for her ID.
“That was in my pockets, which was in my bag again on the workplace,” stated Zabawa. “I barely made it again in time for oral arguments. In the meantime, my male colleagues sailed proper via safety as a result of they have been sporting fits with practical pockets.”
Her priorities are persevering with to check her product in the marketplace as she completes small manufacturing runs.
Hartland-based Wearable Applied sciences, Inc. received the Jerry Jendusa/UWM Lubar Entrepreneurship Award. Founder Deepak Arora took dwelling a $5,000 money prize, in addition to help providers together with funding steering and mentoring from UWM’s Lubar Entrepreneurship Middle and “BreakthruU.”
Wearable Applied sciences goals to disrupt the wearable know-how market by offering a approach to shield family members from preventable accidents. After shedding his 2-year-old daughter in a tragic accident, Arora started trying on the variety of lives misplaced every day. The corporate has since developed wearable gadgets that use synthetic intelligence and machine studying to detect, predict and shield in opposition to hazards.
“It runs a myriad of sensors on the machine. Your coronary heart fee sensor, your blood oxygen sensor, your GPS tracker. Based mostly on the place you might be, it may well predict hazards,” stated Arora.
The corporate has launched its beta program with 250 customers and obtained $1.9 million in funding up to now. Arora stated the corporate is in search of assist with advertising and marketing efforts and spreading the phrase about his know-how.
Wearable Applied sciences was additionally acknowledged at BizTimes Media’s 2022 Innovation + Entrepreneurship Discussion board.
Mt. Nice-based entrepreneur Lakesha Davis received the We Energies/DNA Award, which features a $1,500 money prize and a minimum of one session of mentoring in advertising and marketing from an organization chief.
She’s the founding father of LovingKindness Properties, which affords secure and inexpensive housing via its portfolio of leases. The corporate serves low-income people, these with disabilities, individuals who have been previously incarcerated and seniors. Davis additionally helps purchasers discover clothes, meals and employment referrals.
Davis shared her journey of overcoming homelessness via counseling and different sources.
“I used to be in a position to rise above my state of affairs and I simply need to assist others do the identical,” stated Davis. “I’m fueled by my life experiences and expertise and I do know the problems purchasers are dealing with.”
The corporate is seeking to broaden into licensed care properties and transitional housing.
The subsequent episode of Challenge Pitch It airs Saturday at 10:30 p.m. on WISN-TV Channel 12 in Milwaukee. BizTimes Media is a media companion for Challenge Pitch It.
