Yesterday, Endeavor Miami held their first Endeavor Pitch Competition for Florida-based Black founders in partnership with Microsoft for Startups and The Miami Herald. Ten entrepreneurs pitched their companies virtually to a panel of judges including Miami Herald Business Editor Jane Wooldridge, Microsoft for Startup’s Americas Managing Director Mariano Amartino, and Endeavor Entrepreneur Marcell Haywood.

Each participant was allotted ten minutes to pitch their companies. The first five minutes were used by the entrepreneurs to present their companies. The second half of their time was reserved for a Q&A section with the judges. This format allowed participants to give an overall picture of their companies to the judges before delving deeper into the specifics of their entrepreneurial endeavors.

Following the pitches was a rapid Q&A section with Endeavor Miami’s Managing Director Claudia Duran, in which participants were asked additional questions about their companies submitted by audience members.

The competition concluded with the announcement of the three winners who would go on to receive $25,000 in Microsoft for Startups Azure Credits and non-dilutive cash prizes of $10,000, $15,000, and $25,000 for third, second, and first place respectively. In third place was entrepreneur Brandon Chance of Loan My Sole, in second place was entrepreneur Rishielle Giscombe (Co-Founder) of Glamo, and in first place was Entrepreneur Imani Lee (Co-Founder) of Black Stock Footage.

A special announcement was made at the end of the first Endeavor Pitch Competition revealing that Endeavor will be hosting more pitch competitions over the course of the next year with the money raised from the generous support of the Miami Tech community.