Plano, TX—Frito-Lay'sWomanMade Challengehas awarded $100K in business grants to three female entrepreneurs. Originally intended to be a live event at Natural Products Expo West, WomanMade decided to continue the award show virtually after receiving news of the shows cancellation.

“Female founders are the epitome of persistence in the face of unexpected obstacles, so we as a team knew immediately that we couldn’t let the cancellation of Expo West deter us from bringing the WomanMade Challenge finalists together and awarding our winners,” said Ciara Dilley, VP Marketing, Transform Brands & Portfolio at Frito-Lay.
Related: Expo West 2020 Product Roundup Natural Products Community Rallies After Expo West Postponed
Of the 100 applicants, 10 finalists were presented to a five judge panel including Ciara Dilley of Frito-Lay, Lisa Lillien Founder of Hungry-Girl.com, Jennifer Saenz, President of PepsiCo Global Foods, Shane Emmett, Co-Founder of Health Warrior, and Hannah Hong, Co-Founder of Hakuna Brands.

Finalists included Jessica Levison ofPeekaboo Ice Cream;Nydia Shipman, Co-Founder ofThe Worthy Company; Cecilia Panichelli of Cocina 54; Brooke Rewa of Goodmylk; Rana Lustyan of Edoughble; Sashee Chandran ofTea Drops; Allison DeVane ofTeaspressa; Katie Jesionowski of My SuperFoods;Kate Flynn, Co-Founder ofSun & Swell Foods; and Jill Robbins of Homefree.

Check out the three winners below:
  • First Place: Sashee Chandran, Founder of Tea Drops, organic shaped teas that dissolve instantly in hot water and generate 20% less waste than traditional tea packaging.
  • Second Place: Nydia Shipman, Co-Founder of The Worthy Company, the first plant-based, all-in-one + on-the-go snack bowl.
  • Third Place: Kate Flynn, Co-Founder of Sun & Swell Foods, on a mission to make healthy, on-the-go snacking more accessible.

Chandran, Shipman and Fylnn will receive $50,000, $30,000 and $20,000 grants, respectively, which can be used in any aspect of their businesses, Frito-Lay said in a press release. Additionally, all applicants will receive support for their business through the WomanMade Community on Hello Alice, as well as tickets to Hello Alice’s Business for All conferences in 2020.

For more information about the WomanMade Challenge, please visit www.helloalice.com/communities/womanmade-by-pepsico. Watch a behind-the-scenes video of the first-ever virtual WomanMade Expo West Challenge and more on why supporting female founders is so important to Frito-Lay, here.