2026 Pitch Night Finalists Announced!
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
13 Years, 13 Finalists: Tom Tom Unveils the Entrepreneurs Competing in Crowdfunded Pitch Night
Three minutes to pitch. One night to win direct funding and a $5,000 grand prize.
Charlottesville, VA (March 23, 2026) —The Tom Tom Festival continues its partnership with Community Investment Collaborative (CIC) to bring Charlottesville the 13th Annual Crowdfunded Pitch Night on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at 7:00pm, at The CODE Building.
Thirteen (13) of Charlottesville's boldest entrepreneurs will take the stage before a live audience, each armed with just three minutes to spark imagination and inspire investment. During this high-energy showcase, audience members become active participants, voting with their dollars and pledging direct support to the concepts and businesses that capture their hearts. 100% of these contributions go directly to the entrepreneurs, while a panel of judges will select one (1) winner to receive a $5,000 max grand prize, sponsored by CIC.
2026 Finalists:
Christina D. Washington
[8:12] Project: an event discovery platform built for the faith community where young Christians can find and host experiences that align with their values
Jay Berget
All Access C-ville: a 3D technology initiative helping Charlottesville's cultural spaces become more visible, accessible, and welcoming to all visitors, including those with mobility challenges and neurodivergence
Phil Gorman
Classic Car Limousines: a chauffeured classic car limousine service featuring a 1931 Dodge Six and 1949 Packard Custom Eight for weddings and special events
Troy Robinson
Eat Better Today: a mobile food service tackling food insecurities by combining SNAP benefit accessibility with healthy meal options and using food as medicine
Malorie Black
GoGood: an easy-to-use mobile app connecting universities, nonprofits, and companies in a shared network to coordinate, track, and scale community service
Andrew Schoka
Hardshell: a data-layer assurance platform for enterprise AI that enables providers and customers to trust the AI systems they build, buy, and deploy
Tala Habbab
hobski: a peer-to-peer platform connecting learners with passionate mentors in their area to guide them through hobbies and skills with personalized, affordable guidance and real-time feedback
Mollie Griddine
MeMe's Crown & Glory: a Black-owned, family-made natural hair care brand created with intention, care, and lived experience
Jenny Lynn Walding
milkmade: a breastfeeding support platform with a patent-pending, sensor-enabled nipple shield that measures milk transfer and latch quality in real-time
Darrick Hanks-Harris
MrBaker's Vegan Donut Shop: a plant-based bakery serving fresh, handcrafted vegan donuts with high-quality ingredients and bold flavors through pop-ups, markets, and special events
Amanda Terillo
Penny's Imperfect Pizza: a sourdough pizza company specializing in artisanal, naturally fermented pizzas made with farm-grown vegetables and locally sourced ingredients
Jake Adler
StorybookYou: a personalized children's book company using AI to transform children's photos into accurate storybook characters, seamlessly integrating multiple children and pets into a single adventure
John Elliott Butler-Cisneros
The Power of Us: a tabletop game that transforms how people experience shared humanity, difference, and belonging by helping players explore and transform unconscious patterns across race, culture, religion, gender, disability, and sexual orientation
Year after year, Tom Tom’s Crowdfunded Pitch Night transforms The Irving Theater inside the CODE Building into Charlottesville's hub of entrepreneurial energy, where breakthrough ideas meet enthusiastic community support. The event has become a launching pad for local ventures, offering not just funding, but the kind of exposure, connections, and momentum that can transform a promising concept into a thriving business.
“Participating in Pitch Night connected us with others who had undergone the same process of formalizing an idea and putting forth the effort involved to see it through. It was exciting being surrounded by creative and driven members of the community,” shares Pete Akey of Charlottesville Food Co-op, the grand prize winner of last year’s Crowdfunded Pitch Night. “ I am very happy we won funding to help significantly in the early stages. It was a fun evening! ”
CIC is hosting pitch preparation sessions for the finalists. Entrepreneurs will use various marketing channels, including social media, to invite family, friends, and well-wishers to attend and vote on their behalf. Electronic voting is also available for those who can’t physically attend at: https://www.tomtomfoundation.org/post/2026-crowdfunded-pitch-night-finalists. Beyond the immediate financial support, business advising and other resources will also be made available to each of the finalists.
For more information on the Crowdfunded Pitch Night, the finalists, event hosts, or other events taking place during the Tom Tom Festival, please visit www.tomtomfoundation.org/ or https://cicville.org.
ABOUT COMMUNITY INVESTMENT COLLABORATIVE
Community Investment Collaborative (CIC) is a Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI) with a mission to strengthen the community and contribute to economic development by fueling the success of under-resourced entrepreneurs through education, mentoring, financing, and networking. Based in Charlottesville and serving Central and Southern Virginia, its 16-week Entrepreneur Workshop has over 650 graduates, and more than 250 entrepreneurs have acquired over $6.5 million through CIC’s microloan program. Learn more about CIC at https://cicville.org.
