Australian corporates and philanthropists have invested more than $1 million to support twelve emerging women-led businesses following last week’s Sister Pitch event.
Hosted by the national not-for-profit Global Sisters, in partnership with dentsu, Sister Pitch aims to empower diverse women entrepreneurs with business support.
The event saw 12 female founders pitch their business ideas to a room of high-profile investors.
Key support came from organisations such as Afterpay, Meta, MECCA Brands, THE ICONIC, Bunnings, American Express, dentsu, KPMG, Jack Morton, and AMP, along with small businesses.
Below, we share each of the women-led businesses who pitched and successfully secured financial support from investors.
GTAB:
Ginan is a multidisciplinary artist and the founder of GTAB PARFUM, a pioneering frequency healing designer perfume house. Her journey from a challenging childhood in Western Sydney to becoming a trailblazing entrepreneur is as inspiring as the fragrances she creates. Ginan secured support in brand development, industry expert coaching, collaboration with wellness-focused brands and retail partners, as well as website development and funding for production. She also secured $15,000 towards the launch packaging design and production of her range.
Madhuri Soni, founder of Australia’s first pharmacist-formulated bioactive blends designed to support and empower busy women. Madhuri secured $25,000 to support the R&D of her two new supplements and to achieve TGA certification. She also has several introductions into stockists of her products and secured strategy and creative support to elevate her brand identity.
Chocolate On Purpose is a 100% Indigenous Australian owned business that combines couverture chocolate with Australian native botanicals to create their “Bush Food Chocolate” range. Founder Fiona Harrison secured support for her brand refresh and has several introductions to collaborate with an ethically aligned, high-quality chocolate company. She also secured funding towards her Indigenous tasting agri-tourism space.
Nina Deng founded Phorus, a skincare brand that specialises in treating hyperpigmentation with scientifically backed solutions. Nina secured $10,000 to support her SEO strategy set up thanks to dentsu, and a strategic advisor to help her secure a large retailer in the form of Sandy Mellis of DBG Health. She also has introductions with beauty retailers.
Founded by Macarla Church to work directly with artisan groups in over twenty developing countries, Basera imports unique, beautiful homewares. Each item is ethically made using traditional methods, with a focus on preserving these age-old crafts. Her dual motivation for starting the business was to establish an ethical platform for artisan crafts. Macarla secured several major stockist introductions, and business strategy, marketing, and sales support thanks to StudioSpace.
Designed to connect licensed post offices (LPOs) with trained staff and offer short-term recruitment solutions, founder Tania Walker acquired a cash injection to finalise her LPO Locum platform, a prize holiday giveaway to support her national marketing campaign including from Radek Sali, as well as support with her marketing campaign to onboard the two sided marketplace.
Kim founded What Unites to help neurodivergent individuals unmask their brilliance through coaching and peer support, inspired by her own journey of discovering her neurodivergent identity and receiving an autism diagnosis as an adult. Kim received support to launch a national awareness campaign aimed at reshaping the perception of neurodiversity in Australia. She also received partnership introductions for corporate introductions for paid speaker and trained opportunities to raise awareness of neurodivergence thanks to AMP and KPMG.
Catie, the Founder and Head Distiller of Clovendoe Distilling Co. in Queensland, established the first NoLo Australian distillery producing low and non-alcoholic distilled spirits. Catie was seeking support to partner with a leading Australian distributor to expand Clovendoe’s market reach and received commitment from many to secure Clovendoe the right distribution.She also secured funding for Halal export certification and a trade mission to Malaysia thanks to her generous and eager donors. Additional Sales channels are being explored with multiple connections.
Angie, the founder of Remedii, has spent much of her life battling Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a rare and incurable condition that brings extreme, unrelenting pain. This daily struggle inspired Angie to create something meaningful, not just for herself but for others who face both chronic and temporary pain. She secured a national distribution deal for a soon to be released major brand. She is also in discussions with a major high performance sporting endorser for her brand which is looking promising.
Camie Fleur is a preserved and artificial flowers brand founded with the primary objective of providing an exquisite alternative to fresh flowers, thereby reducing floral waste and promoting sustainability. Camie Fleur creates everlasting floral gifts and wedding & event decor. Cyana received support for her re-brand, visual identity and her website relaunch from Kelly Slesor. She received several stockist introductions for her silk and dried flowers including powerhouse Bunnings. She also received corporate introductions for her experiences such as KPMG & Jack Morton.
Corina is a proud Yorta Yorta woman and founder of ethical ‘mum and child’ fashion label, Amber Days. Her clothing ranges are made from original fabrics and collection designs are in collaboration with Aboriginal artists. She produces her garments and is growing her team with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, refugee and migrant women, because she believes women are the leading forces behind healthy communities and society. At Sister Pitch she received over $16,000 in funding for her initial production of her new range. She received photography, PR, and media support for her new launch in Byron in November 2024 thanks to MIQ. Corina also has several stockist collaborations as a result.
Ira Puspita founded Kayu & Co. in 2021 with the hope that she could help remote artisans’ communities preserve their cultural heritage and nature. Her goal is to uplift remote artisans’ communities who are handcrafting natural products as a means to preserving their culture. Ira pitched for support with retail expansion, sales, and collaboration opportunities, including a lifestyle shoot of Indonesian artisans. Dentsu proudly fulfilled Kayu&Co’s overseas video and photo shoot Ira also has several stockist and distribution conversations on the table at leading Australian brands.