Eight innovative outdoors companies selected to accelerate their business at Pitchfest 2019
BOULDER, CO. (April 9, 2019) – Camber Outdoors, the hub for advancing career opportunities, leadership and entrepreneurship in the active-outdoors industries, is excited to announce the finalists for Pitchfest 2019. Celebrating its fifth year, Camber Outdoors Pitchfest is a 10-week mentoring program that accelerates business growth and visibility of some of the active-outdoor industries most innovative companies and culminates with an event held on June 17 prior to Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Denver, CO.
From its largest pool of close to 80 applicants, eights finalists from across the United States have been selected based on their business model, traction, mindset, team, impact to the active-outdoors industries, and alignment with Camber Outdoor’s mission of equity in the outdoors.
“Pitchfest highlights and brings entrepreneurs to the forefront of the active-outdoor industries each year, ” said Amy Kemp, Camber Outdoors Pitchfest Coordinator and 2017 Pitchfest Participant. “Many of our finalists are in earlier stages than in years past. This was intentional as we are seeking more diversity in the stage and type of the company, as well as the composition of their leadership team. These are the future leaders of Everyone’s Outdoors, and we believe in giving them the resources and support to accelerate their growth and the transformation in our industry.”
2019 Pitchfest Finalists
Backcountry Pulse | Rachel Sapp | Boulder, CO
Backcountry Pulse is a for-profit philanthropic wilderness medicine company that empowers through education, propels diversity and representation within outdoor leadership, and serves wildlands and global communities.
College Outside | Sarah Lockwood |Carpinteria, CA
College Outside is a gear vendor and sales channel for the field of outdoor education. They created a streamlined purchasing tool for this important and underserved demographic, and their mission is to introduce more students and young people to the outdoors by providing outdoor education coordinators and their participants with quality gear, expert advice, and institutional discounts.
Color Outside |Nailah Blades | Salt Lake City, UT
Color Outside is the go-to resource for women of color wanting to create soul-stirring, joy-filled, adventurous lives. Through curated adventure experiences, transformational coaching and community, Color Outside helps women of color unlock where they’re feeling stuck so that they can fully step into their joy and shine.
Coozie Outdoors | Rachelle Snyder | Los Angeles, CA
Coozie Outdoors is an outdoor experience company that rents premium outdoor gear with delivery anywhere in the continental United States. By providing a convenient and cost-effective alternative to buying, maintaining and storing gear, Coozie Outdoors is transforming the $184B outdoor gear and services industry by better serving the experience-driven consumer.
Kind Apparel | Mallory Ottariano | Missoula, MT
Kind Apparel creates adventure-ready wearables for gals who get after it. They are known for their bold patterns (hand-drawn by founder Mallory Ottariano), and their sustainable fabrics made from recycled plastic bottles…making technical clothing for life.
Rsport | CJ Riggins | Lafayette, CO
Rsport was founded to give Athena and Plus-size athletes high performing technical apparel built for their unique needs. They are building Athena-size performance apparel so more people can participate and enjoy the outdoors and the activities they love! The goal is to allow more to ROAR.
Step By Step Run | Iman Wilkerson | San Diego, CA
Step By Step Run is changing the way people travel and run around the world by developing PacePartner, a mobile lifestyle app where runners will be able to dial into the local running community, hire a local run buddy to explore the city with, or find a race last minute all in one place while they travel or in their home city.
Zize Bikes | Joan Denizot |Glouchester, MA
Zize Bikes are custom designed, engineered, and built to support riders up to 550 pounds. Providing top-of-the-line parts and frame, with each component studied and maximized for efficiency, strength, and comfort, Zize Bikes opens up the amazing and fun world of cycling to the overweight and obese.
The finalists will spend the next 10 weeks working with mentors comprised of venture capital leaders, angel investors, and entrepreneurs. During this time they will explore and uncover the opportunities and challenges most critical to their business’ growth including how to drive business, financials, storytelling and building the right team.
On June 17, the Pitchfest 2019 finalists will pitch their business plans to a distinguished panel of active-outdoor industries executives and experts, and a live audience of investors, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders.
Pitchfest was launched in 2015 as the cornerstone of Camber Outdoors’ programming to support and accelerate women’s leadership and participation in the outdoors. Since then, 33 women have participated in the program and created a strong community of bold entrepreneurs who have grown their companies, raised funds, and expanded their teams with diversity and equity as priorities. One company, Machines for Freedom, even had a successful exit when they sold their business to Specialized. The mentoring and feedback they’ve received have helped Pitchfest participants increase their business sustainability and growth as well as led to a higher-than-average success rate, with more than 90 percent of companies still in business over the 5-year program.
Thank you to our 2019 Pitchfest Sponsor Perkins Coie.
Learn more about Pitchfest, sponsorship opportunities, and register for the event at: https://camberoutdoors.org/pitchfest/
Watch the 2018 Pitchfest Finalist Presentations.
About Camber Outdoors
Founded in 1996, Camber Outdoors is the hub for advancing career opportunities, leadership and entrepreneurship to inspire an outdoors, truly for everyone. Envisioning a future of “Everyone’s Outdoors”, it is a national organization dedicated to achieving equity for all women and underrepresented communities in the workplace of the active-outdoors industries, through innovative and thought-leading programming and initiatives, including industry keynotes, the CEO Outdoor Equity Pledge, Pitchfest, Camber Exchanges, and a cross-industry/company Mentoring Program. Over 200 corporate and 7,500 individual members support equity through Camber Outdoors.
To learn more about Camber Outdoors please visit camberoutdoors.org and follow them on social media.
