This year’s Professional Beauty Association (PBA) Beauty Week, hosted by Cosmoprof North America, will kick off with an event unlike any other. Its much-anticipated Beauty Pitch event will feature five finalists presenting their businesses, before a live audience, to a celebrity panel and potential investors with the ultimate goal of taking their company to the next level. The winnings: a year of mentorship from Mark Cuban, entrepreneur and owner of the Dallas Mavericks; and possible funding from the participating investor groups, which include TSG Consumer Group, North Castle and CircleUp. Announcements concerning funding will be made at the conclusion of the live event.
The inaugural event will take place at the Mandalay Bay Ballroom from 8 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. on July 12. To kick off the event, Cuban and John Paul DeJoria, CEO and co-founder of John Paul Mitchell Systems, will share their advice on business practices and answer questions from the audience, with PBA chairman Scott Buchanan of Scott J Salon & Spa serving as the moderator.
Live pitches from the finalists will follow the discussion in the form of an intense two-minute pitch and a short Q&A before the judges: Cuban; DeJoria; Melissa Goldstein, beauty and lifestyle director at Martha Stewart Living and Martha Stewart Weddings; and Neil Parmar, journalist at Inc.
Beauty Pitch offered both up-and-coming and established companies the opportunity to present their brand, products or ideas to a panel of top investors. Finalists were selected by a panel of judges consisting of industry professionals, program hosts and investors: Buchanan; Katie Fitzgerald, CircleUp; John Heffner, The Drybar; Harlan Kirschner, The Kirschner Group; Diane Miles, TSG Consumer Partners; Daniela Ciocan, Cosmoprof North America; Charu Siri, Wall Street Journal& CNN; and Steve Sleeper, PBA.
Finalists were carefully interviewed and reviewed on several criteria, including proof of concept, presentation, business health and uniqueness.
As the event nears that could change someone’s business forever, Beauty Store Business sat down with each of the five finalists to learn more about the process and what each company hopes to achieve through this unique first-time Beauty Pitch opportunity.
If you were sitting on the panel, which company would you choose? Click on the links below to "meet" the finalists!
Those interested in attending the live event during Cosmoprof North America will need to purchase an individual ticket to the PBA Business Forum ($60 for PBA members, $70 for non-members) or a package, such as the PBA Beauty Week/CPNA All Access Pass and the Salon Professional Experience, both of which include admission to this event. Tickets for the PBA Business Forum include a full buffet-style breakfast, which will be served at 7 a.m. For official rules and details see beautypitch.com and follow #BeautyPitch for updates.
Liz Barrett is an Oxford, MS-based writer and author of Pizza: A Slice of American History.
[Image courtesy of the Professional Beauty Association]