Events by Ellen Damaso, Ecosystem Builder and Community Architect.
Bridging Fashion & Beauty Innovators — Virtual Pitch Competition v2
Bridging Fashion & Beauty Innovators — Virtual Pitch Competition
From Concept to Catwalk: Empowering the Next Wave of Fashion & Beauty Tech
This online gathering is designed for founders, funders, technologists, and community builders in the fashion and beauty tech ecosystem. Our mission: foster collaboration, spotlight emerging startups, and unlock pathways for innovation and investment.
Agenda
2:00pm (Virtual Lobby Opens): Registration & Networking
2:10pm: Opening Remarks by Host & Partners
2:15pm: Live Startup Pitches--5 fashion and beauty tech founders present their companies to a panel and audience
Each founder: 5-minute pitch + 3-minute judge Q&A + 2-minute audience Q&A
3:10pm: Audience Voting & Judges Deliberation
3:20pm: Winner Announced & Closing Remarks
3:25pm: Post-event Networking Lounge
Event Summary & Goals
Fashion and beauty are undergoing rapid transformation through technology: AI-driven personalization, sustainable materials, virtual try-ons, and social commerce. This competition brings together trailblazing founders, investors, and collaborators to:
Celebrate innovation in fashion and beauty tech
Connect early-stage ventures with funding, mentorship, and strategic partnerships
Cultivate a vibrant, supportive community to scale new ideas and business models
Top startups will pitch for feedback, recognition, and potential investment. The audience will help choose a crowd favorite, while a panel of expert judges selects the grand prize winner.
Who Should Join
Fashion and beauty tech founders and business leaders
Early-stage entrepreneurs working on wearable tech, cosmetics innovation, ecommerce, digital fashion, AI, and retail platforms
Investors, angels, and industry mentors eager to support emerging companies
Creators, designers, and anyone passionate about the future of fashion and beauty
Why Attend
Discover cutting-edge innovations and new brand experiences
Network virtually with talent from across the global fashion and beauty tech ecosystem
Access partnership, investment, and mentorship opportunities
Shape the future of tech-enabled beauty and fashion—your vote and voice matter
Startups to pitch:
KIRAN — Stage: Pre-seed.
Summary: India-to-world consumer brand powered by kī, an AI brand-dev studio that accelerates product creation and content.
Fundraising: Raising a $500K pre-seed round via SAFE to build the kī workflow and launch KIRAN’s first collection.
Alignment: Consumer brand + AI infra, globally oriented, brand creation at the intersection of fashion/beauty and tech.
• OYU Botanica — Stage: Pre-seed.
Summary: Organic skincare line featuring Mongolian heritage ingredients.
Fundraising: Raising a $250K pre-seed.
Alignment: Clean beauty, heritage ingredients, global/wellness-oriented skincare.
• VERSCA BEAUTY TECH — Stage: Pre-seed.
Summary: AI agent + CRM and additional tools for beauty businesses.
Fundraising: In conversation with an initial investor interested in $100–500K once the product is ready; previously generated over $6K revenue in 3 months with one part-time salesperson.
Alignment: Beauty tech infrastructure, AI agents and CRM for salons/beauty, revenue-positive early traction.
• The Fashion Intelligence Company — Stage: Pre-seed.
Summary: TheFI.company, a fashion AI lab bringing Shein-like speed and intelligence to the rest of the market.
Fundraising: Already taking angel checks, planning a pre-seed to accelerate product development.
Alignment: B2B fashion AI, data and intelligence layer for brands/retailers.
• Seamless Accessories LLC — Stage: Pre-seed.
Summary: Design and manufacturing company using proprietary 3D knitting to autonomously produce high-end, zero-waste backpacks and soft goods via localized, automated, circular production.
Fundraising: Raising $250K pre-seed SAFE (post friends-and-family $50K) for final prototyping, manufacturing setup, and launch.
Alignment: Sustainable accessories, advanced manufacturing, circular and localized production.
Logistics & Attire
Platform: Zoom (link sent upon registration)
Dress Code: Business casual, creative flair, or everyday wear—bring your authentic self!
Admission: RSVP required—founders, investors, students, and community welcome
Judges & Moderator
Judge #1: Joe Jasin, Managing Partner, DNA Partners, LLC
Joe Jasin has built a 25+ year international career within the Mobile-Wireless and Digital Media-Technologies industries; participating in the converging commercial industries of the internet protocol -TCP/IP and the associated technology convergence of ecosystems’.
He has been proactively establishing cross-border relationships and presence in the USA and Asia. Presently, Joe Jasin is Managing Director of DNA Partners, LLC an early stage venture investment firm. DNA is sourcing software investments in the infrastructure of 5G/6G mobile/wireless technology.
The portfolio of companies are based in the USA, China and Philippines. Mr. Jasin spends about 20 to 30 percent of his time in Asia. At Polaroid as Vice President of Corporate Development. To source emerging technologies and business models associated with ‘solution sets’ of hardware-software-digital media services leveraging the base of Silicon Valley. To expand general company initiatives in the Asia/China geographic regions Mr Jasin was General Partner with China Mobile Ltd. (Beijing HQ) he worked on a stealth venture capital fund for the ChinaMobile - OPhone ecosystem initiatives.
Mr. Jasin served as Vice President of Corporate Development for SK Telecom, in Seoul Korea. At SK Telecom, his mandate was investments in USA and China. Nationally, in Silicon Valley he was founder and chairman of the Silicon Valley Forum, Inc., in the trenches cultivating a community of software developers from the years 2000 to 2016. Internationally from 2010 to 2017 advisor to the U.S. Department of State; APEC Office of Commerce, working on 5G spectrum allocation alignment between the USA and China/Asia countries.
Joe continually presents and moderates at conferences once per month in the USA and Asia, he has presented at these associations; DevNetwork-San Francisco, TechFashionWeek-New York, Mobile World Congress-Shanghai, MediaMatters/BrandedAsia-Hong Kong, 5G Forum-Philippines. He also has been a TV guest and/or been quoted with these media companies; Wired Magazine, CNBC-USA and Seoul, South China Morning Post, and The Economis
Judge #2: Serephina Ha, Managing Director at Founder Institute
Serephina is a VC-baked entrepreneur turned investor, and MIT alum on a mission to help founders turn bold ideas into impactful ventures.
She is a Managing Director at Founder Institute, which has incubated over 8100 tech startups with a combined portfolio valuation of $35B.
She also serves as a mentor at MIT Sandbox Innovation Fund, and an advisor at Loyal VC, a global venture fund with 400+ investments across 60+ countries. Also Angel Investor & LP.
Judge #3 Dr. Anna Zakowska, Managing Partner at Dragons and Angels Fund
Dr Anna is a founder, operator, builder, and investor. She launched her first startup in 2013, scaled it to support over $1 billion in AUM, and exited in 2017, going on to build and lead nine successful ventures. Anna invests primarily in startups across AI/ML applications, FinTech, PropTech, LegalTech, and blockchain, with deep expertise in applied artificial intelligence. She has a strong track record of backing technical teams and founders with rigorous research and engineering backgrounds. Her investment philosophy is grounded in meaningful traction, defensibility, and flawless execution.
Moderator: Andrew Cartwright, Managing Partner at Dragons and Angels VC
Andrew Cartwright is a serial entrepreneur, investor, author, and developer who has founded 32 companies across 17 industry verticals, completed 17 acquisitions, and achieved five successful exits. With a career spanning real estate, finance, construction, media, technology, and private equity, he is known for building scalable businesses, structuring complex deals, and turning distressed or overlooked opportunities into high-value assets. GP of Dragons and Angels VC, Andrew is the author of The Origin of Opportunity, where he challenges conventional thinking about success and ownership, and he continues to develop innovative platforms focused on investment, capital access, and wealth creation
Apply to Pitch
Founders: Want to showcase your startup? Submit your application with a brief overview, traction, and your ask.
Get Involved
For partnership, sponsorship, or judging opportunities: ellen.a.damaso@gmail.com.
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Let’s build a more innovative, inclusive and beautiful tech-driven future—together.
Sponsored by
Plus Ultra Capital Partners, Ellen Damaso, Venture and Capital Partner
Events by Ellen Damaso, Ecosystem Builder and Community Architect.