Five finalists have been announced for a €10,000 business development fund developed by Brown Thomas & Arnotts.
The Pitch'23 initiative aims to support Irish start-ups, small businesses, designers, makers and entrepreneurs across a host of sectors, and offers them the chance to pitch for the fund as well an opportunity to retail in Arnotts department store.
The finalists were agreed upon by the brands expert judging panel, which included Head of Enterprise Vena Doyle; Head of Digital, Pippa Casey; Head of Sustainability, Diana Geraghty and Head of Home & Lifestyle Buying, Edel Woods as well as PR businesswoman Hannah Saunders.
The five businesses shortlisted for the final are:
Human Collective
Founded by Conor Buckley, Human Collective creates clothing that is environmentally sustainable, made with organic cotton and recycled polyester. Designs are adorned with an equal’s sign to show support for racial, LGBTQI+ and opportunity equality. For every jumper sold, €3 is donated to their three charity partners, Sports Against Racism Ireland, LGBT Ireland and The Irish Youth Foundation.
Blackbird Jewellery
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Blackbird is a boutique style jewellery store owned by Katie Rogers based in Ennis, Co. Clare. They showcase contemporary jewellery from Irish and European designers, offering a beautiful mix of hand-crafted crystal bracelets.
Treat Yo Self
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Treat Yo Self is a family owned, earth-friendly, vegan sweet company with a mission to bring the best vegan treats to Ireland in a sustainable way. The concept was born out of the first lockdown, created and run by two kid brothers Harry & Jack as a project, now a full time family operation.
We Are Kalo
We Are Kalo is a vegan leather accessory brand, designed in Ireland with apple leather hand selected by founders Kate and Malo. Each bag comes with two interchangeable straps, in thick woven and thin apple leather styles, making for the perfect versatile wardrobe staple, available in black, pink and orange.
SkinKrush®
Founded by Sinead Gallagher and Jeanette Dunne of renowned Renew Skin Clinic, SkinKrush® is a microdermabrasion beauty tool designed to exfoliate dead skin cells to achieve a smoother and more vibrant skin complexion. This deep exfoliation helps skincare products go deeper into the skin to deliver more effective results.
The judging panel will now provide the finalists with a series of mentoring and development workshops before the brands retail both in store and online from November to December.
