Ruby Rises: Female-Founded Startup Wins with Groundbreaking Drink Mixes at 2024 Renaissance Women’s Summit
Emily Untermeyer and Riley Decker, co-founders of Ruby, took first place at the 2024 Renaissance Women’s Summit Student Pitch competition. Made by female athletes, for female athletes, Ruby creates all-natural, science-backed drink mixes that target cramping, bloating, and fatigue to promote athletic performance.
The Summit was held at the Wond’ry, Vanderbilt’s Center for Innovation on February 24th. The aim of the Renaissance Women’s Summit is to create a supportive and empowering community for women entrepreneurs and to provide them with the tools and connections they need to thrive, and this is at the core of the pitch competition. This year’s Summit, the winners were also added into the Mona Lisa Foundation, whose mission is to support and accelerate women in Nashville on their entrepreneurial journeys through mentorship, grants, education, and community.
“I’m delighted to announce Emily and Riley as the 2024 Mona Lisa scholarship awardees, joining the Mona Lisa Foundation, remarked Sydney Dozier, founder of Renaissance Marketing Group and the Mona Lisa Foundation, and creator of the Renaissance Women’s Summit “In addition to a $3000 grant, they’ll receive social media coaching, strategy development for their Ruby brand, and mentorship from five accomplished women entrepreneurs. It’s an honor to have them, and I eagerly anticipate the business innovations they’ll achieve!”
Team Ruby was one of three incredible teams chosen to pitch their startup to a live audience during the Summit, as well as a stellar panel of judges including Deetricha Younger, Wond’ry Mentor and Vice President of Marketing of Royal Cup Inc., Cynthia Cohen, Founder and Chief Strategist of IMPACT 2040, Rebecca Dixon, Co-founder and CEO, the*gameHERs, and Tracey Figurelli, Venture Capitalist and Director at Andra Partners. This year, all three teams were Wond’ry participants, with team Ruby being graduates of both the Sullivan Family Ideator and Builder programming.
The other two amazing ventures were:
Kellie Geisel, with her venture Lactote, a female backed business that aims to help improve the mental health of breastfeeding/pumping mothers nationwide by keeping their breastmilk cold while traveling/on the go and reduce the risk of throwing out “liquid gold.” Kellie is actively participating in the Builder program.
Sudiksha Singhal, founder of Brace Cap, whose patented covered ligature ties provide a cushioning layer between the orthodontic bracket and the patient’s inner cheek and lip, preventing common orthodontic injuries and wounds. Sudiksha has completed both Sullivan Family Ideator and Builder programming.
During the competition, Team Ruby shared that they are the only supplement brand that specifically supports female athletes at critical moments in their menstrual cycles, with an important addition that they are Third Party tested for purity and NCAA/WADA compliance. Their compelling presentation, and ability to effectively demonstrate a solution for their demographic’s pain points helped them to stand out and win the competition.
“We are really proud of what we’ve accomplished with Ruby so far, but we know this is only the beginning of our venture,” said Riley and Emily. “The Wond’ry has played a major role in our growth by teaching us how to think about starting a business and providing resources for doing just that. The support has been incredible; I wish we’d found the Wond’ry sooner! We learned so much at this Summit. We’re ready to launch, and the resources from this Summit will propel our venture forward.”
There was an amazing package for the winning team, which included the Mona Lisa Foundation Scholarship of $3,000 and additional support from the Renaissance Marketing Group, a 6 month Celebrity Incubator Program from Brielle Cotterman Media, a one-day strategy workshop with Cynthia Cohen, of Impact 2040, a Wond’ry Microgrant of $3,000, and a 3D version of their product for their socials and website, from Couture Technologies.
In initial first steps, Emily and Riley hope to utilize the prize package to fund a pilot run of their first product. The funding from the award will allow them to pay for their first run of the supplement, and the services will help them to market the product and optimize their go-to-market strategy.
“Events like this are incredibly important for women in business, ” said Riley. “I’ve attended events where the only women in the room were Emily and me, and I leave those spaces feeling so drained. Walking into a room full of women feels like the complete opposite – I can be myself, I can represent my business, and I can unapologetically show what I’m made of. I feel supported and seen, and I don’t have to spend half of my pitch explaining what a period feels like. Women get it, so I can get down to the important business information. This Summit moved the needle for my business.