The six finalists have been selected in the 2020 edition of Brewbound’s Pitch Slam Competition, presented by Anheuser-Busch’s Brewers Collective.
Advancing to the final round of the competition on Thursday, December 10, which will be streamed for free on Brewbound.com and Brewbound’s social media platforms starting at 4 p.m. ET, are six finalists selected by the judging panel:
- Cajun Fire Brewing Company, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Lunar Hard Seltzer, New York, New York
- Norwalk Brew House, Norwalk, California
- Pow Brewing Company, Torrance, California
- Study Break Hard Seltzer, Los Angeles, California
Also reaching the finals, via audience vote, will be Dokkaebier (San Francisco, California).
In the semi-final round, 12 companies presented two-minute pitches to a panel of industry experts that included Ryan Lake, principal at Arlington Capital Advisor; Day Bracey, co-founder of Fresh Fest and co-host of the Drinking Partners Podcast; Oceania Eagan, founder and creative director at Blind Tiger Design; and Jason Murphy, beverage product and program innovation manager at Buffalo Wild Wings.
Other semi-finalists included:
- Gruvi, Denver, Colorado
- Khonso Brewing, Atlanta, Georgia
- Masq Hard Tea, Winchester, Virginia
- Metazoa Brewing Co., Indianapolis, Indiana
- Patuxent Brewing Company, Waldorf, Maryland
- Warcloud Brewing Company, Rowland Heights, California
With the field narrowed, the six finalists will each receive five minutes to pitch their businesses to a final panel of judges that includes:
- Beny Ashburn, co-founder and CEO of Crowns & Hops Brewing Co.;
- Thomas Bleigh, innovation brewmaster and co-founder pH Experiment, Brewers Collective;
- Sinead Carey, director of sales at Wine Warehouse;
- Joy Young, senior director of innovation at Anheuser-Busch’s Brewers Collective.
The winner of Pitch Slam 12 will take home a trophy and the grand prize — an advertising package valued at $10,000. The winner of Pitch Slam 12 will receive multiple opportunities to connect with craft brewery founders within Anheuser-Busch’s craft business unit the Brewers Collective, as well as industry veterans and specialists across different functions of the business, gaining access to invaluable insights and state-of-the-art resources to support their business’ growth.
Additionally, the winner will receive lab testing and quality assurance support through Elevate QA, a new initiative launched by the Brewers Collective, which provides free lab access and assistance to craft brewers.
All 12 semi-finalists will receive an individual annual subscription to Brewbound.com. The subscription includes free registration to the Brewbound Live Winter 2020 virtual business conference and Investor Speed Dating networking event.
About Brewbound
Published by BevNET.com Inc., Brewbound is a leading multi-media industry trade publication providing comprehensive information about the beer space, analysis of industry trends and in-depth interviews with industry leaders. In addition to providing daily news, Brewbound also gathers entrepreneurs and executives to exchange ideas, discuss the state of the industry and hear strategies for succeeding in the alcohol beverage segment via a series of nationwide meetups, multi-day business conferences, live-streamed shows and podcasts.