Lehigh Valley LaunchBox<\/a> powered by Penn State, the program featured speaker Giana Jarrah, founder and CEO of With Meraki Co., alongside moderator Jevata Crawford, founder of Project Move, for a discussion on how entrepreneurs can effectively communicate their ideas and connect with audiences. <\/p>\nThe event took place in the Ronald K. De Long Gallery against the backdrop of the spring painting exhibit, \u201cLike It Is\u201d by Femi J. Johnson. The setting reinforced the event\u2019s emphasis on storytelling as a key component of successful pitching. Jarrah shared how her approach has evolved since launching her company, noting a shift from highly technical presentations to more connection-driven messaging. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe \u2018why\u2019 is really important,\u201d Jarrah said. \u201cIt\u2019s how you get people to believe in what you\u2019re building.\u201d <\/p>\n
Jarrah, a 2022 graduate of Lehigh University\u2019s biomedical engineering program, founded With Meraki Co., a women\u2019s wellness company focused on probiotic and prebiotic supplements for urinary and vaginal health. She said her personal experiences helped shape both her business and the way she communicates its mission. <\/p>\n
Crawford, a 2021 LaunchBox Idea TestLab winner and member of the LaunchBox Ladies committee, reinforced the importance of authenticity in pitching. Drawing on her experience leading Project Move, a move management and estate clearing company serving the Lehigh Valley, she encouraged participants to clearly communicate their passion and purpose. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf you don\u2019t believe in what you\u2019re saying, your audience will feel that,\u201d Crawford said. <\/p>\n
The event also reflected a broader shift for the Lehigh Valley LaunchBox, which is preparing to expand its presence in downtown Allentown and increase its focus on smaller, community-centered programming. <\/p>\n
The next opportunity for entrepreneurs to engage with LaunchBox Ladies will be the 4th Annual LaunchBox Ladies Pitch Competition on June 24 in the Nittany Caf\u00e9 at Penn State Lehigh Valley. Doors open at 4:30 p.m., with the competition beginning at 5:30 p.m. <\/p>\n
Participants will compete for a $2,500 grand prize, a $1,500 runner-up prize and a $1,000 Audience Choice prize. The event is open to the public and will include light refreshments. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe pitch competition is a LaunchBox Ladies signature event that provides a supportive platform for up-and-coming female entrepreneurs,\u201d said Tiffany Valdes-Madera, business development coordinator at Lehigh Valley LaunchBox. <\/p>\n
More information and registration details are available on the Lehigh Valley LaunchBox website<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CENTER VALLEY, Pa. \u2014 Twenty-one entrepreneurs and community members gathered April 16 at Penn State Lehigh Valley for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":199906,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[119,121,120],"class_list":["post-199905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-allentown","tag-allentown","tag-allentown-headlines","tag-allentown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199905","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=199905"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199905\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/199906"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=199905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=199905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=199905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}