Nine competitors race to finish line of Startup Stampede with $100,000 at stake

DURHAM – It’s a real horse race with nine startups – seven from the Triangle area – nearing the finish line of the Startup Stampede incubator program. And the stakes are high.

The consumer product startups square off for $100,000 in marketing and advertising services from Durham-based McKinney in Monday’s Startup Stampede showcase.

The Stampede takes place beginning at 4:45 p.m. in the Full Frame Theater at the American Tobacco Historic District.

Competition for the top prize follows a startup incubator program from the American Underground that began in March. McKinney, an international marketing firm based in Durham, and economic development foundation NC IDEA are backers of the program along with Google for Entrepreneurs. The Stampede was announced last November.

The startups, including one from San Francisco and another from Cincinnati, pitching will be:

Beard and Lady (Creedmoor): Beard and Lady sells apothecary-inspired grooming products for men and women which enhance the chemistry of relationships through our unique flavors and scents creating intrigue and curiosity. @beardandlady
Brothers Vilgalys (Durham): Brothers Vilgalys Spirits produces Krupnikas Spiced Honey and other craft liqueurs. @BrosVilgalys
Descalza (Raleigh): Descalza is a handcrafted, Latino-inspired clothing brand that fuses artisan textiles and modern fashion. @WearDescalza
Fillaree (Durham): Fillaree is a small batch, organic liquid soap manufacturing company, focused on providing refill services to consumers and businesses who want to reduce their waste in a more impactful way. @FillareeSoaps
Healthy Roots Dolls (Cincinnati): Healthy Roots Dolls is a toy company that creates dolls and storybooks that teach natural hair care because every girl should feel empowered by the beauty of the kink of her curl and the color of her skin. @RootsDolls
Nellino’s (Raleigh): Nellino’s makes extraordinary super-premium all-natural, organic and biodynamic pasta sauces. Nellino’s is committed to helping in the fight against hunger through annual donations to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. @NellinosSauce
Sonoma West Beauty (San Francisco): Sonoma West is an all-natural beauty and cosmetics company founded in Northern California. @SWBeautyCo
Tracy’s Gourmet (Morrisville): Tracy’s Gourmet® sells healthy artisan foods made from high-quality ingredients that are clean, flavorful and fun without compromise. @TracysGourmet
Wotter (Cary): Wotter is a modern athletic swim gear brand that celebrates and elevates female swim athletes. We employ tech-crafted materials and female forward styling to foster individual expression, self-confidence and lifelong retention of girls in the sport of swim. @WotterSwim