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2021The Todd Feldman ’89 and FamilyPITCH CONTESTSee one finalist walkaway with a 10,000grant to make his orher idea a reality.March 4Live Stream7 p.m.

WelcomeAmy ForbesDirector of the Centennial CenterPitch PresentationsFlash Pitch CompetitionEd BizariEntrepreneurial Fellow for the Centennial CenterThe Pitch Winner Announced-1-

WelcomeIt’s hard to believe that this is the tenth year of The Pitch contest. Backin the fall of 2011, President Emeritus Mark Gearan L.H.D. ’17 began theschool year with the theme, “The Power of an Idea.” At the CentennialCenter, we took up this challenge and decided to do a program that wouldallow students to explore ideas while also teaching them how to implementthem. We felt the timing couldn’t have been better to offer the Colleges’ firststudent entrepreneurial leadership contest. Ten years later, the contest is theperfect representation of the Centennial Center. As we work with studententrepreneurs, we still consistently find that to further an idea it takesleadership qualities, entrepreneurial know-how, and innovative strategies.Much like the rest of the world, we’ve been managing the challengesassociated with the coronavirus pandemic. Still, there is much to celebratethis year. First, we welcome a new donor, Todd Feldman ’89 who is anaccomplished executive and passionate entrepreneur. Todd met with eachfinalist presenting tonight to provide feedback and advice. We’re delightedto have his name officially on the contest and want to thank him sincerelyfor taking this interest in our student entrepreneurs. Together, we lookforward to cultivating innovative proposals from students, comprehensivedevelopment when students engage in the contest and a high quality finalevent each year for our HWS community to enjoy.Second, our tenth year has allowed us to do something we’ve never donebefore, which is to gather a group of judges who were all past Pitch contestparticipants when they were undergraduates at HWS. In perhaps our bestdemonstration of measurable outcomes, our four judges are all founders ordirectors of their own organizations, several launching their current venturewhile they were finalists in the contest. Sara, Mattie, Ato and Sam continueto innovate across multiple industries, driving new ideas, connecting usersand creating value that is transforming the spaces where they operate.We’re delighted to have them back to The Pitch on this distinguishedpanel and also thank them for paying it forward to the next generation ofentrepreneurial leaders.Lastly, while our finalists will make their pitch “live,” the event will bevirtual for the first time. While we will miss the energy and standing roomonly space in the Vandervort Room, we still want to acknowledge theextraordinary efforts of these finalists who have been working for morethan six months on their idea. They are supported by an amazing networkof HWS faculty, staff, selection committee members, alum mentors andjudges. We’d like to thank the HWS community for a wonderful ten yearsand congratulate all those students who have been courageous enough toput forward an idea.Sincerely,The Centennial Center-2-

Our New DonorTodd Feldman ’89 has been a successfulentrepreneur across multiple industries,including garment and soft goods, entertainmentand real estate. Having graduated from HWS withhis B.A. in Economics, Feldman has developeda keen eye for packaging ideas and buildingbusinesses over the past almost 30 years. He isthe founder of The Feldman Co.Having started in the manufacturing world, Feldman quickly becamea top salesman in a multi-national public corporation, which servedhim well in his transition into the entertainment business. Feldman hasproduced a feature film and packaged and set up many television showsat major networks and continues to produce and represent establishedwriters and directors in a variety of mediums.In 2008, Feldman and his wife, Jenn, created and patented arevolutionary throw blanket, the Nuddle Blanket, which, at the time,was the only blanket with a foot pocket. The Nuddle Blanket becamea favorite of many, including several well-known celebrities andinfluencers, and can be found on couches all around the world.In 2009, Feldman was presented with an opportunity to invest in severalreal estate deals of a prominent developer of hotel and residentialproperties, during which time he met an executive who would laterbecome a business partner. In 2011, Feldman and this executive cofounded Leonardo247, a real estate software platform, which brings realestate, management and technology together in a ground-breaking newway. Leonardo247 has since grown to become a leader in the multifamily industry.Feldman’s entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well, as he has recentlyinvested alongside über investor, Tim Draper, in PORTL, a Californiabased Hologram start-up, as well as ROLLA, a NYC-based real estatevideo platform - of which he is also on the Advisory Board.The Feldman family are thrilled to be involved in HWS’s The Pitchand are looking forward to many years of supporting young HWSentrepreneurs.-3-

Pitch JudgesSam Solomon ’17Sam Solomon’s entrepreneurial goal is to help change the way weeat through sustainable food practices. After winning The Pitch andgraduating in 2017, he went on to found Pizza Posto, a wood-firedpizza food truck that utilizes fresh ingredients grown locally in theFinger Lakes. Since the spring of 2018, Pizza Posto has provided pizzaat local wineries, breweries and at the Spotted Duck.At the end of 2020, Solomon partnered with a local business owner to purchase SpottedDuck, an award-winning ice cream shop just 15 minutes south of Geneva. This businessfollows the same food philosophy as Pizza Posto in keeping ingredients fresh and locallysourced. In order to run both businesses, he has decided to keep the pizza truck atSpotted Duck next season. He currently sits on the board of the Geneva Area Chamberof Commerce and is an active HWS alum, guest speaking in classes and mentoring Pitchparticipants.Ato Bentsi-Enchill ’17Ato Bentsi-Enchill is dedicated to helping others achieve their businessgoals and values by acting as a mentor, connector, listener andstoryteller. He is the Director at Black Adam Africa Capital ManagementLimited, a boutique transactional advisory firm focused on helpingbusinesses and projects in Africa raise external financing. To date, hehas raised close to 10 million for businesses in Ghana. The firm aimsto build sustainable businesses that evolve into national and regionalchampions that achieve maximum job creation and value addition in Africa.Bentsi-Enchill also founded RevisionPrep, an online educational platform that preparesstudents to pass the BECE; and Deals en Route, a coupon distribution platform in NewYork. In Ghana, he runs the co-working space 8 Volta Workspaces.Bentsi-Enchill graduated magna cum laude in International Relations and Frenchand African Studies. In 2013, he won the The Pitch competition. He has also won orplaced highly at a number of other business plan competitions at institutions includingGeorgetown University, Harvard University, Princeton University and the Tony ElumeluEntrepreneurship Programme.-4-

Mattie Mead ’13Mattie Mead is an adventure-seeking entrepreneur who has a passionfor building a better world. Through his venture Hempitecture, heis a builder, an innovator, and is dedicated to seeing the use ofsustainable, healthy building materials in our built environment. Outsideof Hempitecture, Mead serves on the Board of Directors of IdahoBaseCamp, a non-profit organization that connects underservedcommunities to the outdoors. In his home of Ketchum, Idaho, heserves as the Vice-Chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission. At HWS, Mead studiedarchitecture, environmental sciences and entrepreneurship.Sara Wroblewski ’13Sara Wroblewski is the Founder and CEO of the nonprofit One Bead.At HWS, Wroblewski won the school’s first annual entrepreneurialPitch competition and the prize of 10,000 to start her organization.To date, Wroblewski has raised over one million dollars to supporther work of empowering young students to catalyze change in theircommunities and has impacted the lives of thousands of studentsin Boston. Wroblewski has grown as a manager over the last severalyears, collaborating with and overseeing a small team of passionate individuals. However,if you were to ask Wroblewski what makes her the most qualified person to do her job, shewould say it is her austere attention to detail when it comes to strategic planning.When not managing her nonprofit, Wroblewski can be found both teaching and practicingyoga around Boston.Pitch MentorsSteve Alperin P’22, Co-Founder of Boston BullPen ProjectKatherine Bangs ’95, Business Owner, EntrepreneurRuah Bhay ’01, Yoga, Meditation and Wellness TeacherDaniel Baker ’72, Chairman of Tate EngineeringJames Burness ’71, Biotech/Lifescience VC and strategic advisorto early stage cos.Michael Krupp ’74, Co-Founder and CEO of Neurgain TechnologiesRobert Scolnik ’66, Philanthropist, Small Business Owner,Muskegon County Commissioner-5-

Pitch FinalistsAlexandria Knipper ’21Hometown: Clifton Springs, N.Y.Major: Media & SocietyMinor: Entrepreneurial StudiesCANadaptA multilingual online community that strategically connects cancer patients,survivors, and caregivers who have common characteristics and needs.-6-

Pitch FinalistsMeghan McKenna ’21Marie Charlotte Carrau ’21Hometown: Avon, Conn.Major: SociologyMinor: Entrepreneurial StudiesHometown: New Rochelle, N.Y.Major: EconomicsMinor: Studio ArtRe-ThreadRe-Thread is a textile recycling company, turning unwanted textiles into thread.Our mission is to reduce the waste and negative climatic effects produced bythe fashion industry.-7-

Pitch FinalistsMatthew Nusom ’23Hometown: Trumbull, Conn.Major: Environmental Studies & PhilosophyMinor: Entrepreneurial StudiesSymBIO DesignsSymBIO Designs bridges the gap between good-intentioned humans andbroken systems to provide sustainable solutions that better the world. Weprovide a variety of redesigned everyday products to allow people to better theirenvironments, institutions and communities.-8-

Pitch FinalistsJack Fell ’21Hometown: Concord, Mass.Major: Political ScienceMinor: EnglishGrassroots PartnershipsTo help provide alternative strategies for passing policy, Grassroots Partnershipsis a 3-step model to community-based policy solutions. This model can beapplied to various communities facing a variety of local policy problems.-9-

Pitch Semi-FinalistsAlexandria Knipper ’21Meghan McKenna ’21Marie Charlotte Carrau ’21,Star Peña ’22Jake Rogers ’22Matthew Nusom ’23Jack Fell ’21Michael ’59 and Ellen ’60 Opell IdeaLabThe Michael ’59 and Ellen ’60 Opell IdeaLab has served as an effective feeder programinto The Pitch contest. It also acts as an idea accelerator. A student investment committeein coordination with the Centennial Center reviews student proposals and allocates 5000in seed funding to various ideas. Many of this year’s finalists participated in IdeaLab.Student Investment CommitteeBrian Hoffman ’21 - ChairAnnie Crotty ’22Emma Nedeau ’22Maura McNamara ’22Teddy Ruppenstein ’22Fall 2020 IdeaLab ParticipantsWilliam Kline ’23Meredith Kehoe ’22Laurel Soulier ’22Emeline Smith ’22Jake Rogers ’22Marie Charlotte Carrau ’21Elizabeth Cannon ’22Bliss Doney ’22Meghan McKenna ’21Matthew Nusom ’23Aadarsh Adivishnu ’24Niima Sellah ’23Jonathan Garcia ’23- 10 -