BETHLEHEM Pa. — An Allentown woman has won thousands of dollars to help launch her business.
- Giana Jarrah won the grand prize of StartUp Lehigh Valley on Wednesday
- The grand prize was $20,000
- She is the founder of women's health products company With Meraki Co.
Giana Jarrah, who runs With Meraki Co., a new brand of women’s health products, on Wednesday won the grand prize of StartUp Lehigh Valley’s fourth annual entrepreneurial pitch competition at Factory LLC in Bethlehem, a small business incubator.
The competition, similar to the TV hit “Shark Tank,” lets entrepreneurs show off their products to a panel of judges for a grand prize of $20,000.
This year’s top 10 contestants developed a range of products, such as innovative food and beverage brands, an invention that can help reduce microplastics in waterways and plant-based dog food.
The entrepreneurs had two minutes each to pitch their products to a panel of judges, who had two additional minutes to ask questions. Then, after all the contestants pitched, the judges chose the winners.
Winners were selected based on whether the product is an original idea; if it solves a problem that people have; and the candidates' personalities - not only how well they pitched, but if they are a good fit to be mentored and ready to take their business further.
Top honors for women’s health product
“I can’t believe it," said Jarrah, a Syrian-American. "I’m just so happy and so excited. I’m definitely going to scale up my production and hire someone to assist me in fulfilling orders.”
During her college years, Jarrah experienced chronic urinary tract infections that prompted her to research how to prevent them, along with conditions such as bacterial vaginosis and yeast infections.
She studied to become a biomedical engineer and found that probiotics can help with vaginal health. She decided to develop a supplement that now is part of the With Meraki Co. brand.
The company's name comes from “meraki,” a Greek word that loosely translates to love, soul and creativity.
Jarrah said there's a stigma surrounding vaginal health and she’s run into it while developing and presenting her product.
“One time I was pitching, they had to give a disclaimer that I am using the word ‘vagina’ and I was like, ‘This is why I am doing this to break the stigma and educate women on vaginal health and provide a product for that need,"Giana Jarrah, founder of With Meraki Co.
“One time I was pitching, they had to give a disclaimer that I am using the word ‘vagina’ and I was like, ‘This is why I am doing this to break the stigma and educate women on vaginal health and provide a product for that need,’” Jarrah said.
Runners-up
Jarrah didn’t just win the grand prize. She also won the Ben Franklin Award of $5,000.
First runner-up prize was Beckon Ice Cream,a lactose-free ice cream that aims to capture the full flavor of traditional ice creams. It was started by Katy Flannery and Gwen Burlingame.
Baleena, a microfiber-trapping device used in consumers’ homes to reduce microplastic emissions in laundry, was second runner-up, winning $2,000, and also received the Audience (Viewer’s Choice) Award of $1,000.
A prototype of the product catches microplastics and microfibers each time a washing machine cycle is run. The inventors said they collaborated with Patagonia and Penn Libraries to develop their ball and collect microfibers that fall off from clothes before they end up in waterways and water supplies.
Other awards
LaunchBox Boost Awards were given to three products: Baleena, Fila Manila and Steel City Motorsports.
Fila Manila was created by first-generation Filipino-American immigrant and entrepreneur Jake Deleon, who started the company with his $1,200 pandemic stimulus check. Deleon used family recipes he loved from childhood to create sauces. It is the first Filipino food product to be sold at Target.
The Teen Entrepreneurship Camp Pitch Boost Award was given to Steel City Motorsports for Stand Handz kickstands for motorcycles.
They were not able to attend the StartUP Lehigh Valley event in person.
More information about StartUp Lehigh Valley’s fourth annual entrepreneurial pitch competition can be found here.
