Meet the Winners of the BGV 2025 Austin Pitch Competition
- Frantzces Lys
- Jun 12
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 17
Diana Muturia – 1st Place Winner
Diana Muturia turned a moment of exclusion into a movement. After being told she didn’t “look like an engineer,” she left college and began cleaning homes to make ends meet.
What she found was deeper than dust. The system was broken. Texts, calls, and emails left cleaning crews scrambling and hosts frustrated. So Diana built CLYN.
CLYN is more than a platform. It’s your smartest teammate. It syncs to property management software, auto-schedules cleanings, maps optimized routes, delivers custom checklists, and reviews before-and-after photos to keep quality high and chaos low. It even reorders supplies automatically when inventory runs low.
With 150 properties in pilot and national partnerships already secured, Diana is setting her sights on Airbnb integration and $5 million in projected revenue.
She’s building something that doesn’t just work. It works for the people doing the work. And she’s just getting started.
Dr. Sharita Ambrose – 2nd Place Winner
Dr. Sharita Ambrose didn’t wait for permission. After 15 years in public health, she saw how Black women’s reproductive and sexual health needs were ignored.
She created Q.U.E.E.N. Talk to change that.
Q.U.E.E.N. stands for Quality Education and Empowerment Network.
It’s a space where Black women lead conversations about sexual wellness, HIV prevention, and reproductive justice. These aren’t just stats. They’re stories. And they deserve to be told by the people living them.
In just 18 months, Q.U.E.E.N. Talk has reached over 300 women, trained 39 community health workers, and increased healthcare access by 85 percent. With 100 percent satisfaction from participants, the movement is clear.
Dr. Ambrose is raising $100,000 to grow statewide, launch a companion podcast, and expand digital access to programs that help Black women reclaim their health and their power.
Jaime Masters – 3rd Place Winner
Jaime Masters didn’t plan to start a business. Within eight months, she lost both of her parents and her dog.
The grief ran deep. It showed up in her body.
A scalp condition caused her to scratch until her hair was gone. When doctors told her it wouldn’t grow back, she decided to try something for herself.
That something became 826 & Co., a self-funded brand offering small-batch skin and hair care made to soothe the body and the soul. Using plant-based ingredients, aromatherapy, and botanicals, Jaime created a line that brings people back to themselves.
In one year, with no team and no paid ads, she served 537 customers and earned $20,000. Every product is priced between $18 and $40, made with intention, and connected to suicide prevention.
She’s now seeking $125,000 to buy ingredients in bulk, improve her website and Amazon shop, invest in visual storytelling, and launch an ad campaign that centers care over perfection.
Congratulations ladies!
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