Meet the WBEC NY DMV 2026 Powerplay Pitch Competition Semifinalists
WBEC Metro NY and Greater DMV are proud to announce the semifinalists for the 2026 Powerplay Pitch Competition.
Selected from a strong and highly competitive pool of submissions, these 20 women business owners represent a broad range of industries, including healthcare, technology, consumer products, manufacturing, professional services, wellness, and food and beverage.
Each region’s 10 participants will compete virtually in the WBEC NY DMV Powerplay Pitch Competition Finals. The Metro NY competition will take place on September 15, 2026, followed by the Greater DMV competition on September 23, 2026.
Through the competition, participants gain exposure to corporate partners and peers while refining the pitches they use to communicate their business value, market opportunity, and growth potential. Four finalists from each regional competition will move on to represent WBEC Metro NY and Greater DMV at the WBENCPitch National Competition.
WBEC Metro NY Semifinalists
Girmen Aksandar, AXA Med
AXA Med connects healthcare facilities with qualified professionals through a proprietary, seamless, AI-powered staffing and workforce management platform. The company helps healthcare organizations simplify hiring, address staffing gaps, and place the right providers where they are needed most.
Lalitha Priya Chandrashekhar, MEYA Health
MEYA Health is a woman- and minority-owned strategic market access agency that helps pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical technology, and digital therapeutics companies bring healthcare innovations to patients. Founded in 2013 as PFG MedComm, the company rebranded as MEYA Health in 2026 to reflect its expanded capabilities and commitment to improving access and patient outcomes.
Alison Evans, SAYSO
SAYSO makes all-natural, low-sugar mixer sticks that turn water into cocktails or mocktails in seconds. Customers simply pour, stir, and add alcohol if desired, making it easy to enjoy a well-crafted drink without bar tools, recipes, or multiple ingredients.
Michelle Feinberg, NYES Protect
NYES Protect is a certified women-led, ISO 13485-certified manufacturer specializing in scalable, American-made personal protective equipment. From its 80,000-square-foot facility at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, the company produces isolation gowns, masks, and face shields using domestic raw materials for healthcare systems, municipal agencies, and frontline workers.
Coni Lefferts, Creative Packaging Solutions
Creative Packaging Solutions is a wholesale supplier of empty packaging for retail consumer goods. The company helps product-based businesses source packaging solutions that support production, presentation, and distribution.
Erika MacDonald, Engaging New Media
Engaging New Media is a woman-owned video production and strategic storytelling agency founded by Erika MacDonald in 2018. Based in Hempstead, New York, the agency turns complex information and unclear messaging into compelling video content that helps organizations build awareness, strengthen engagement, and encourage action.
Dr. Melissa Robinson-Brown, Renewed Focus Psychology Services
Renewed Focus Psychology Services is a Black woman-owned, WBENC- and WOSB-certified mental wellness company founded by Dr. Melissa Robinson-Brown. The company provides culturally responsive individual and couples therapy, corporate wellness programs, speaking engagements, community experiences, and wellness products for high-achieving women who often feel unseen or overwhelmed.
Neda Shilian, Panty Fresh
Panty Fresh is a woman-owned consumer products company offering patented, compact personal care refresh kits for unexpected moments. Each discreet, portable kit combines underwear with essential personal care items and is designed for use across travel, hospitality, healthcare, convenience, and retail settings.
Carrie Sporer, SWAIR
SWAIR creates time-saving haircare products for people who work out. Its products are formulated with clean ingredients to help customers refresh and care for their hair more efficiently after exercise.
Sherene Strausberg, 87th Street Creative
87th Street Creative is a women-led animation studio specializing in animated healthcare videos. The studio helps healthcare organizations explain concepts and processes that may be difficult or impossible to capture with a camera, creating clear visual content designed to inform audiences and encourage action.
WBEC Greater DMV Semifinalists
Iyin Akinlabi-Oladimeji, Luji’s Chocolate
Luji’s Chocolate is a bean-to-bar chocolate company creating products with distinctive West African flavors. Led by Nigerian American founder Iyin Akinlabi-Oladimeji, whose family has direct ties to cocoa farming in Ile-Oluji, the company produces and packages its chocolate in West Africa.
Nicole Brown, Pop’s Praiseworthy Popcorn
Pop’s Praiseworthy Popcorn is a certified woman-owned and military-spouse-owned gourmet snack manufacturer. The company uses all-natural ingredients and a triple-sifting process to create a flavorful, culinary-inspired popcorn experience.
Caroline Caylor, ARAZ Systems, LLC
ARAZ Systems, LLC provides IT infrastructure and fuel logistics services. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the Hispanic woman-owned company brings together technology, energy, logistics, and workforce development to support government, defense, commercial, construction, transportation, and mission-critical operations.
Shanel Evans, Socially Savvy Consulting
Socially Savvy Consulting helps organizations strengthen leadership and the systems that support it. The company combines executive presence coaching, strategic messaging, and AI infrastructure to improve organizational alignment and support measurable results.
Stacy Fritz, FIT2order
FIT2order is a women-owned workplace health and performance company that helps organizations reduce stress, address the effects of sedentary work, and support healthier teams. Through speaking, training, employee challenges, wellness experiences, and products such as the patented vidaBALL, the company delivers practical solutions designed to improve resilience, productivity, and workplace culture without disrupting the workday.
Kamilah Mantle, EPICC Technologies
EPICC Technologies provides digital speech and cognitive therapy solutions for people recovering from stroke and brain injury. The company also offers workshops and training for communities, caregivers, organizations, and businesses on communication, cognition, disability awareness, brain health, and accent modification.
Holly Byrd Miller, Color Coded Cosmetics, LLC
Color Coded Cosmetics is a beauty brand created to simplify makeup selection and application for women who want to look polished and professional. Founded by makeup artist and image consultant Holly Byrd Miller, the company offers curated, color-guided products that help customers choose and apply makeup with greater ease.
Alexandra “Lexx” Mills, Stursi Mocktails & Mixers
Stursi Mocktails & Mixers creates sophisticated drink options for customers who want an inclusive alternative to traditional cocktails. Its products are designed to deliver a polished presentation and a satisfying drinking experience, with or without alcohol.
Claudia Mirza, AK DIGITAL LLC, dba RunMyProcess
RunMyProcess helps global enterprises automate workflows, integrate systems, and reduce operational complexity through a low-code platform. Its next-generation platform, Fluyenta, builds on that foundation by embedding AI agents into enterprise workflows to support document processing, decision-making, and coordination across systems.
Heather Pressler, BlueHuki Agency
BlueHuki is a purpose-driven digital marketing agency that helps businesses increase their online visibility and build trust with their audiences. The agency brings together brand strategy, websites, search, AI optimization, and advertising to help clients strengthen their digital presence and support sustainable growth.
Save the Dates
Join us virtually on September 15, 2026, for the WBEC Metro NY Powerplay Pitch Competition Finals and on September 23, 2026, for the WBEC Greater DMV Powerplay Pitch Competition Finals.
Registration details are coming soon.