The 2019 Pitch Competition winner is Mariangelic Martinez, founder and owner of Martinez Martial Arts and Family Fitness Center. Located in Bloomfield NJ, the center primarily serves as a martial arts school offering classes to families and people of all ages, though it also provides a variety of other programs such as summer camps, day camps, and fitness programs for adults.

(L to R) Joseph Camberato, National Business Capital & Services, Mariangelic Martinez, Winner 2019 Pitch Competition; Susana G Baumann, Latinas in Business Inc.

“Our 2019 Pitch Competition focus was on three Tracks: Wellness, Lifestyle and Technology. From the original list of 18 registered participants, 12 were selected but only 9 showed up to participate,” said Susana G Baumann, President and CEO, Latinas in Business Inc. “Participants were mainly Wellness and Lifestyle businesses with only one Well-Tech participant. That shows us that there is still a lot of work to do to attract Latinas into Technology and encourage them to participate in our Pitch Competition,” Baumann added.

The 2019 Pitch Competition winner has a passion born out of necessity

As the owner and founder of a martial arts studio, it is no surprise that Marieangelic loves karate, in fact it has been a life-long passion, starting at the age of three.

Born and raised in Newark, NJ, to Puerto Rican parents, Marieangelic’s journey into the world of martial arts began with a diagnosis: epilepsy. Her pediatrician suggested she be put in a sport. Unfortunately, there were not many options at the time for young girls. Searching for something, her mother looked to karate, where Marieangelic’s brother was already enrolled in a martial arts program. After speaking to the instructor, who would go on to become a great mentor to Marieangelic, she soon was enrolled in classes.

From then on karate became her life. She joined competitions, competing locally, regionally, and internationally earning nicknames such as “la salsera” and “yakuza.”

Read more about Mariangelic Martinez here: Martial Arts Sensen Marieangelic Martinez defeats industry stigma and work-life balance

About the 2019 Pitch Competition participants

In second and third places were finalists Tenille Ortiz, founder and owner, The Cupcake Carriage and Brenda Green, founder and owner, Fit4aBetterMe.

Three finalists at the 2019 Pitch Competition in Jersey City (L to R) Joseph Camberato, Mariangelic Martinez, Susana G Baumann, Tenille Ortiz and Brenda Green.

Tenille Ortiz is the owner and designer at The Ellinnet Cake Collection. “I just launched a new service called The Cupcake Carriage, which is a mobile bakery designed for cupcake decorating birthday parties, corporate events and much more. The business launched in June and since then we have taken off. We are currently designing cakes for many celebrities and The Cupcake Carriage has been scheduled every weekend since our launch date in June,” Tenille explained.

Brenda Green, owner and founder of a Fit4aBetterMe, LLC is the creator of Virtually Better Fitness. “We help women who understand the impact of exercising on their overall health, but struggle to find the time, need motivational support or are frustrated with programs that only yield short term results,” Brenda explained.

Virtually Better Fitness is a  live-streaming fitness class that provides instruction from a certified trainer through a strength-based workout from the comfort and convenience of your home. The virtual group sessions leverage video and audio technology to create a community environment that builds confidence and extends motivation. Classes are three times a week for 30 mins, with no commute, minimal equipment, and access to nutritional coaching.

“We believe this is the formula that will support continued growth in your fitness and health for the rest of your life!” Brenda shared during the Pitch Competition.

Other participants to the Pitch were Maria Santiago-Valentin, Calm & Mindful LLC; Lisa Arias, Body Vanity; Laura Diaz Alberto, La-Di by Laura Diaz Alberto; Judy Justin, Judy Justin Photography, Stephanie Flor, Around the World Beauty, and Dailisha Rodriguez, Hey There Beautiful!

The 2019 Pitch Competition Prize Package and Jurors

This year, the $12,000 Package Prize included $2000 in Cash, sponsored by National Business Capital & Services (National), and a $10,000 package in business services that included:

1^st Place:

• An opportunity to participate in the Entrepreneurship Pioneers Initiative (EPI) Training Program, Rutgers School of Business –Newark (Value $6000) – Qualifications apply for the EPI program (Scholarship for Registration $500)
• Complimentary 1-on-1 business coaching session with National’s President & Co-Founder, Joseph Camberato
• Complimentary cost savings audit on business services by National’s team of business growth advisors
• 30 days of complimentary credit consulting and credit building
• Promotional video, full feature article, social media campaign and professional photos with LatinasinBusiness.us
• A free ticket (Value of $139) to attend the Red Shoe Movement Signature event on November12, 2019 at MetLife (New York)

2^nd and 3^rd Places: 

• Promotional video, full feature article, social media campaign and professional photos with LatinasinBusiness.us
• A free ticket (Value of $139) to attend the Red Shoe Movement Signature event on November 12, 2019 at MetLife (New York)

Package for all finalists of Pitch Competition

• Promotional video, full feature article, social media campaign and professional photos with LatinasinBusiness.us

Jurors (L to R) Manny Fernandez, Fatima Pearn, Joseph Camberato, Any Oliva and Jasmine Cordero-West.

Jasmine Cordero-West, M.H.R.M, Associate Director at Rutgers Entrepreneurship, Rutgers Business School Newark & New Brunswick, and one of the Judges of the 2019 Pitch Competition said, “I enjoyed the pitch competition. There was a good group of finalists and I decided to give the $550 scholarship for participation in the Entrepreneurship Pioneers Initiative (EPI) program to all 3 winners. I think they could benefit from our program.”

Other judges to the competition were Angel Investor and Crowdfunding Manager Manny Fernandez; Joseph Camberato, CEO National Business Capital & Services; Fatima Pearn, VP Business Development Officer at Valley Bank; and Any Oliva, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Negocios Hispanos USA.

“I invite our community to continue to support these Latinas in business that year after year come back because they see the value of our mission,” Baumann said. “Every year, we see more solid and focused Latina entrepreneurs taking advantage of this opportunity to promote their products and services. We wanted to thank our sponsors, supporters and the fantastic media and sponsors Jurors who judged the competition,” said Baumann concluded.