CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — A health and wellness practitioner and her business won the third annual Penn State Lehigh Valley LaunchBox Ladies’ pitch competition, held at the Lehigh Valley (PSU-LV) campus on June 25.
Lehigh Valley LaunchBox is an organization that supports early-stage entrepreneurs through mentorship, resources and community-building events, as part of a statewide initiative by Invent Penn State.
Yuliya Semenovych, owner of Elixir Health and Wellness in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, claimed the $2,500 grand prize. Elixir Health and Wellness offers services for people to "age backwards" using non-invasive technology and Eastern European protocols.
Donna Tomlin, owner of PS It’s Natural, won the $1,500 Runner Up award and the $1,000 Audience Choice award. PS It’s Natural is a full-family brand offering affordable personal luxury care products with hair care, beard care and baby essentials.
Chosen from a pool of 19 applicants, the top five finalists pitched to a panel of four judges: Katie Kupstas, Innovators Club for Women; Robert Thomson, Ben Franklin Technology Partners; Veronica H. Moore, independent learning consultant; and Carol D. Birks, Allentown School District.
In her opening remarks, Tina Richardson, PSU-LV chancellor, highlighted the event as the solo pitch competition in the region for female entrepreneurs.
“These women are not just here to compete — they’re here to connect, grow and to take the next step in their journey. They’ve already gained visibility, feedback and community. This competition serves as a next level launchpad for even greater impact,” Richardson said.
The chancellor also acknowledged that part of the focus behind Lehigh Valley LaunchBox's efforts was to support female entrepreneurs.
“We would like to share this space with other organizations who are interested in supporting female entrepreneurs by championing ideas, providing resources and addressing the needs of the community so that each and every woman with an idea for starting a business could have what they need to thrive," she said.
Rounding out the top five finalists were:
- Dana Allys, Squints Media, is a social-first influencer agency helping small creators become scalable businesses.
- Kelly Lotito, Purple Car, offers a caring-companion transportation service dedicated to helping individuals maintain their independence.
- Jessica Toledo, SunnyWorks Innovations, aims to help organizations create trauma-informed, people-first workplaces where culture thrives and everyone feels safe, seen and supported.
Nadia Alicia, director of the Language Project LLC and the 2024 pitch competition grand-prize winner, was invited to share how her business has progressed over this past year. Cindy Evans, Lehigh Valley LaunchBox director of business development, said, "She [Alicia] now has contracts with several school districts and was a winner in the StartUp Lehigh Valley pitch competition."
Additionally, Janear Hankerson, the 2023 pitch competition runner up, gave an update on her business, Dr. Jay’s Comedy Milieu, with a humorous twist. Evans said of Hankerson, “Her business is educational comedy, so she wrote up a bit targeted at our five finalists."
Evans also elaborated on the goal of the pitch competition, in its effort to support and develop female entrepreneurs in and around the Lehigh Valley. The five finalists were paired with mentors who helped them polish their final pitches prior to the competition.
“The applicants who didn’t make the final five were sent to our programs and portfolios committee for further work with mentors, programs and services, including the Idea Test Lab," Evans said.
According to Evans, pitch competitions have emerged as a valuable opportunity for entrepreneurs to practice and develop confidence in promoting their business.
“Entrepreneurs need to pitch their business to potential clients and investors, so pitch competitions really force them to sit down and define their business, audience and their product or service, so they can pitch with ease,” she said. “This event also provides an opportunity for exposure — we had about 80 attendees, and now these entrepreneurs have 80 additional people who know about their business.”
Evans added that an increasing interest in entrepreneurship has become evident in the Lehigh Valley.
“Events like the LaunchBox Ladies Pitch Competition have become a testament to the talent, resilience and creativity of women entrepreneurs in our region," she said. "We are proud to provide a platform that celebrates their ideas and equips them with the feedback, visibility, and connections they need to grow.”
For more information on the Penn State Lehigh Valley LaunchBox, visit the website.