Three Eastern Pennsylvania InnovateHer Finalists Move To Next Round of Challenge Competition

U.S. Small Business Administration InnovaterHer Challenge finalists will have the opportunity to compete for $70,000 in cash prizes offered by Microsoft in a national pitch competition in Washington, D.C. March 16-17, 2016.

The InnovateHer Challenge is a national competition aimed at unearthing products and services impacting and empowering the lives of women and families.

SBA’s national 2015 first place winner was Philadelphia’s Bethany Edwards, who won out against 15 finalists from across the country. Her firm, LIA Diagnostics, designed a pregnancy test to provide a better experience for women at a stressful moment in their lives. Additional information on the ChallengeHer Competition:www.sba.gov/InnovateHer.

The three InnovateHer finalists are:

Yasmine Mustafa, Roar For Good co-founder and CEO. Mustafa is the creator of Athena Safety Jewelry; a sleek and discrete simple that protects women from assaults with the touch of a button. Once pressed, it emits an alarm and messages emergency contacts. Mustafa was the winner of the competition hosted by the Alliance of Women Entrepreneurs, and their partners University City Science Center, Robin Hood Ventures, Techgirlz, and Colliders Accelerator.

Mary Tiffin, Mangata LLC President/CEO.  Tiffin designed and patented a sleek glove with built-in high-powered LED lights for runners, cyclists, and other athletes who want to exercise at dusk or dawn. Tiffin was the winner of the competition hosted by Bucknell University’s Small Business Development Center in Lewisburg, PA and their partner, Pennsylvania State Representative Lynda Schlegel Culver.

Patrice Banks, Girls Auto Clinic founder/CEO, engineer and automotive technician. Banks owns Girls Auto Clinic, which offers dialogue about the workings of vehicles and how to service them through female auto repair garages, maintenance workshops, books, and an apparel line. Banks was the winner of the competition hosted by The Enterprise Center of Philadelphia. 

The U.S. Small Business Administration is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government whose mission is to help small businesses start, grow and succeed through loan guarantees, contracts, counseling sessions and other forms of assistance to small businesses. SBA also helps people recover from disasters and rebuild their lives by providing affordable, timely and accessible financial assistance to homeowners, renters and businesses.

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