AVIATRA ACCELERATORS LAUNCHES 10 BUSINESSES TWO-WAY TIE FOR FIRST PLACE IN FLIGHT NIGHT PITCH COMPETITION!

Aviatra Accelerators awarded $12,000 in cash prizes to four deserving young businesses at their recent Flight Night Pitch Competition at Carnegie Hall in Newport, KY.

With Grace B. Bold, a fashion-based healthcare solution for women experiencing the trauma and discomfort of mastectomies. She combines fashion and function to provide stylish, comfortable apparel that hides tubes and drains, and allows women comfort and dignity as they recover. A recent DAAP graduate, Megan Sullivan promises to be on of the region’s highest potential entrepreneurs.

A two-way tie, and a generous donation from alumna Robin Gentry McGee, Functional Formularies, made it possible to award two outstanding and high potential businesses with $5,000 cash each. Wendy Klepcyk & Sarah Kleiner of Envisage Architecture were honored a first-place spot along with Megan. Their unique approach to design, affordability and function has them poised to break barriers for women architects, while providing realistic and affordable solutions.

“Aviatra Accelerators could not be prouder of the 12 women representing 10 business who just completed the LAUNCH™ program!” says Nancy Aichholz, Aviatra Accelerators, Inc., CEO. “This class was especially dedicated, talented and ready to take on the world. Each of them will be highly successful in the near future.”

Megan Sullivan was inspired to create her unique fashionable clothing items after having witnessed her own mother’s struggles with breast cancer, mastectomy and recovery. Fortunately, her mother is a breast cancer survivor and was in the audience when Megan won the competition!

Wendy Klepcyk and Sarah Kleiner, Envisage Architects, are both EXPLORE™ and LAUNCH™ alumnae of Aviatra programs. Both have extensive experience in architecture but had never had their own business. The pair met while with Luxottica, realized they had complimentary skills and shared desire to use design as art and function. Their small business has quickly grown and has the potential to scale considerably across the United States.

Thanks also to Legion Logistics and the NKU Haile/USBank College of Business, smaller prizes were also awarded to both Kourtney Terry, TasteTLove Organic Baby Food, and Melanie Cedargren, The Spicy Olive.

During the 12-week LAUNCH class, each Aviatra member participated in an intensive program designed to define growth and success for each of their unique businesses and create a plan to execute upon after completion. Aviatra Accelerators partners with SCORE, NKU SBDC and many other volunteer facilitators, as well as is powered by the Kentucky RISE grant program, sponsors such as Thompson Hine, BB&T, Central Bank, Meshewa Farm Foundation, and PNC Bank.