Meet the competition: 10 entrepreneurs vying for $60K at KC GIFT ‘Pitch Black’ business summit
March 17, 2025 | Startland News Staff
The return of Kansas City G.I.F.T.’s spring pitch competition not only opens the door to prize money for emerging Black entrepreneurs, said Brandon Calloway, it also allows community members and supporters of his nonprofit to see the impact of its mission firsthand.
GIFT’s highly anticipated Pitch Black Business Summit 2025 is set for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 29, at the Delta Athenaeum, 900 E. Linwood Boulevard, Kansas City. It includes local vendors, classes designed to help entrepreneurs elevate their businesses, and $60,000 in winnings for 10 competitors vying for three top awards.
“The pitch competition serves as a way to provide much needed capital to Black owned businesses that can accelerate their growth,” said Calloway, CEO and co-founder of GIFT. “But it also serves as a reminder of the numerous Black-owned businesses providing remarkable value throughout our metro area.”
Each of the 10 finalist entrepreneurs in the competition will pitch their business ideas before a panel of judges for a chance to win a $30,000 grand prize. Additional $20,000 and $10,000 awards also are up for grabs.
Competitors were selected from a pool of applicants, with five selected by GIFT’s board of directors and five chosen during a live drawing on Instagram. They include:
- AIMwell Yoga — Debonie Lewis
- The Black Pantry — Brian Roberts
- Civic Saint — Godfrey Riddle
- The Combine — Alan Keeland
- Hive + Harvest — William Fondren
- In Good Company KC — Daniel Edwards and Cedric Ransburg
- Integrity Martial Arts Academy — David Muhammad
- The Mutual Musicians Foundation — Ernest Melton (creative director)
- On The Rocks Gourmet Jams — Cathy Cowan
- Taylor Made It — Kassandra Taylor
Click here for tickets to Pitch Black.
“One of my favorite elements this year is the multiple breakout sessions that turns this into a full on expo for Black business owners,” Calloway added. “Spectators will be able to watch some phenomenal high quality pitches, and attend breakout sessions that will help them grow their own businesses.”
The business summit and pitch competition are a cornerstone of GIFT’s mission to close the racial wealth gap in Kansas City by empowering small, Black-owned businesses with grants and professional resources, he added.
“In a political climate where there is a direct and aggressive attack on equity, we are proud to continually provide a platform for resistance,” Calloway said.
Click here to learn more about KC GIFT.
Featured Business
2025 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
These brothers brought artisan Mexican designs to the streets of KC; now Pancho’s Blanket is opening a Crossroads shop
A handmade Mexican garment company led by brothers Jonathan and Joseph Garvey is quickly making the leap from First Friday pop up to Crossroads storefront — announcing the debut of a permanent home for the shop next week. Pancho’s Blanket — which partners with artisans in Tlaxcala, Mexico, to design and make wool jackets, blankets,…
KC inventor’s untimely death leaves legacy of fearlessness, unfinished vision
Paul Francis pioneered fitness tech for NASA, commercialized it with Bowflex, then raised $4 million on Kickstarter: How the OYO founder’s unexpected death this month cut his storied entrepreneurial journey short — but left a lasting impression on the people who worked alongside him. Former colleagues are remembering the late Paul Francis as a uniquely…
Pitches and peaches: Hy-Vee awards $30K piece of the $50K prize pie to family-run cobbler company
Denisha Jones sweetened Hy-Vee’s OpportUNITY Inclusive Business Summit and pitch competition this week with her ready-to-bake cobblers. Her pitch (and peaches) secured the $30,000 grand prize. “Every time Thanksgiving comes around, I always crave my grandmother’s cobbler. During the pandemic, I was unsuccessful in finding a cobbler as good as my grandmother’s, so I went…
Meet six newly funded startups Digital Sandbox KC is making more fundable tomorrow
Newly awarded funds are expected to help six more companies scale their fledgling startups past the proof-of-concept stage, said Jill Meyer, touting Digital Sandbox KC’s track record of making startups and their products more fundable once they’re built. “Digital Sandbox KC is one of the Kansas City metro’s rare early-stage funds and provides vital support…