CEO Kayleigh Ciara Kuptz of Deployed and CEO Barbara Gottardi of Finbridge Global Both Win €100K Investment Onstage During Pitch HearstLab London Event

Two startups were named the competition winners at Pitch HearstLab London, HearstLab’s pitch event for early stage, women-led startups. Out of hundreds of applications from across Europe, six companies were selected as finalists to present in-person at the Cine Lumiere on Wednesday, 16 October, 2024.

The finalists represented industry verticals ranging from a white-labeled sustainability platform to digital data wallet for home and personal finances. Each founder pitched to a live audience and a panel of expert judges, including Eve Burton, Hearst EVP and HearstLab Chairwoman; Katie Vanneck, Hearst UK CEO (Magazines); Maren Bannon, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of January Ventures; and David Fogel, Co-Founder of Alma Angels. The event was MC’ed by Marie-Claire Chappet, Acting Commissioning Editor of Harper's Bazaar.

The event included an inspiring fireside chat between special guests Lydia Slater, Editor-in-Chief of Harper's Bazaar and Hannah Bernard, OBE, Head of Business Banking at Barclays UK.

The event’s winners were as follows: Deployed, founded by Kayleigh Ciara Kuptz, an AI-assisted decision and document automation platform, and Finbridge Global, founded by Barbara Gottardi, a multi-sided marketplace allowing financial institutions and investors to quickly scan, assess, and compare fintech capabilities.

"I feel very privileged to be a part of the HearstLab team and portfolio. You can feel the energy of the team as their faces light up when speaking about the portfolio companies. I am looking forward to growing and making my company stronger as we continue to evolve,” said Kayleigh Ciara Kuptz, founder and CEO of Deployed.

Barbara Gottardi, founder and CEO of Finbridge Global, added, “It was an amazing experience. We’re so used to ‘thank you but no’. This investment means we need to keep going. I look to give hope to other women.”

In addition to a €100,000 investment from HearstLab, one finalist, Lowr, was awarded the first Harper’s Bazaar Award which includes exclusive print coverage and an invite to the next Bazaar at Work Summit.

Pitch HearstLab is the pitch competition with the largest check size for women-led startups in the world. The event series is aimed at finding and funding the best high-growth B2B(2C) women-led startups in the U.S. and select international markets. With prior competitions in New York, Madrid, Amsterdam, and multiple winners at each event, HearstLab has invested in 14 early-stage women-led startups through the pitch series alone. London is the eighth event in the series. It is the first time the event has been brought to London.

To date, HearstLab has invested in 70+ women-led startups, currently valued at over $2.4 billion collectively. Its mission is to help closing the funding gap in venture capital funding for women. Current data shows that women-led businesses still receive just 2% of all venture funding, despite the growing number of female entrepreneurs.

“We are continuously expanding our presence and intensifying our efforts across the U.S., Europe, and the U.K. Additionally, we are embracing the opportunities in dynamic regions such as the GCC and Japan, where remarkable women are at the helm of extraordinary companies,” said Eve Burton, HearstLab Chairwoman & Hearst EVP, in her opening remarks. “This is truly a global operation.” 

“We are so excited to bring this investment pitch event to the UK for the first time, creating a vital platform for British female founders to present their innovative ventures. In the UK, women-led businesses remain chronically underfunded despite their incredible potential to add £250 billion to the UK economy,” said Louise Harvey, HearstLab International’s UK-based Venture Associate. “This event is designed to change that, giving talented female entrepreneurs the opportunity to secure the backing they need. I have loved working closely with every one of these amazing female founders over the last three months in the run-up to Pitch HearstLab—all have such deep sector expertise, are so passionate about what they are building, and are all-round fantastic entrepreneurs.”

“Pitch HearstLab is not just a pitch contest, it is a live investment committee. We invest months in scouting, analysis, and due diligence and we have an exceptional jury made up of some of the best VC partners and strategic profiles within Hearst,” added Azahara Espejo, Director of HearstLab International. “You do not just become a winner, you receive an investment of €100,000 and three months of support from HearstLab at an international level.”

Pitch HearstLab will be hosting their next US competition in Atlanta on 12 November, 2024. Beyond pitch events, female founders can apply for HearstLab investment anytime (ranging from $500K to $1M+ checks) throughout the year.

For more information, visit the HearstLab website, follow HearstLab on LinkedIn, and subscribe to the newsletter.

HearstLab provides cash investments and services to early-stage, women-led startups across sectors like fintech, data analytics, health, and enterprise technology. Its mission is to close the gap in venture capital funding for women by helping founders build sustainable, scalable businesses. To learn more about HearstLab, visit HearstLab.com and connect with us on LinkedIn.

Deployed is an AI-assisted decision and document automation platform that streamlines resourcing decisions and project agreements for global enterprises, saving millions in administrative costs while boosting project success rates and compliance. For more information, visit https://www.deployed.co.

Finbridge Global is a multi-sided marketplace allowing Financial Institutions and Investors to quickly scan, assess and compare fintech capabilities. The automated RFI functionality saves hundreds of thousands of pounds for all parties involved. For more information, visit https://finbridgeglobal.com.