Cleveland Cotton Candy Machines Wins Pitch Night 2024
Cleveland Cotton Candy Machines took home the $5,000 grand prize at the Hudson Library’s twelfth annual Pitch Night competition, held on November 12 in front of a live audience. After impressing a panel of expert judges with their innovative, automated cotton candy solution, the company stood out among six finalists vying for top honors.
Cleveland Cotton Candy Machines is pioneering the first mobile, fully automated cotton candy machine rental service in Northeast Ohio. Their machines allow users to select from four flavors and 32 different designs via an LED touchscreen, instantly creating and dispensing cotton candy with minimal effort. This innovative service is perfect for events and provides a unique, interactive experience for customers.
The runners-up, winning $2,500 each, were Omolola (Lola) Fakunle of HyperReal: Tomorrow’s Prosthetic Today and Bradley Smith of Vinci Learning.
HyperReal aims to revolutionize prosthetic care by integrating 3D scanning, printing technology, and smart software. They plan to offer realistic, custom prosthetics at the same cost as traditional options but with faster production times. Vinci Learning focuses on bridging the financial literacy gap among K-12 students through innovative, gamified learning solutions. Their debut product, Wayz to Wealth, is an interactive board game that engages students by teaching essential financial skills in a fun, new way.
Pitching for Cleveland Cotton Candy Machines was President Randa Jackson, whose fiancé, Randy Lemons, serves as operations manager.
An elated Jackson commented, “We are BEYOND excited to win the Hudson Library & Historical Society’s Annual Pitch Competition!! Thank you so much to the judges for seeing our vision and supporting our mission, to Burton D. Morgan Foundation for sponsoring this wonderful event, and to the staff of the Hudson Library for being such amazing organizers and hosts! We can't wait to use this money to help us purchase a new truck for the business!”
She continued, “Our mission at Cleveland Cotton Candy Machines is to create unique joyous experiences that encourage communion and create enduring memories for our family, friends, and our community. Cotton Candy is a nostalgic and magical way of bringing people together. Whether it's a memory at the county fair or at an amusement park with friends, Cotton Candy can really help people live in the moment. We want people to cultivate that moment as often as possible, and to be the catalyst to help them do that!”
In addition to purchasing a new truck, which will reduce transportation costs associated with moving equipment, Jackson has big plans for the company over the next twelve months. Her goals are to purchase two or three new machines and expand into at least two new locations, win additional funding through at least one other pitch competition, secure a contract to sell cotton candy in one new grocery store, and secure funding to help grow her non-profit initiative, The Cleveland Children’s Small Business Workshop & Fair.
Jackson adds, “I didn’t get into this business to win awards or competitions. I started this business to support my family and add a little joy to the world. What I am learning is if you operate with a pure heart and stay true to your mission, good fortune and favor will follow.”
Burton D. Morgan Foundation congratulates the competition winners and thanks Hudson Library & Historical Foundation and the judges for partnering with us to champion the entrepreneurial spirit!