A patent-pending cake-serving tool created by two Wilmington-area entrepreneurs will compete for startup funding in a statewide business competition, bringing attention to a product designed to make cake cutting cleaner, safer and less wasteful.
Anna Barrett and Kevin Roberts, founders of CakeBelle, will represent Cape Fear Community College's Small Business Center in the inaugural Small Business Center Network Startup Showdown, according to a news release.
CakeBelle is a cake-serving tool designed to provide cleaner cuts, customizable slice sizes, safer serving and reduced food waste. Barrett and Roberts developed the product with support from the CFCC Small Business Center and director Jerry Coleman.
The Startup Showdown will feature 17 entrepreneurs
from across North Carolina competing for a share of $60,000 in funding, including a $30,000 grand prize.
“Supporting entrepreneurs like Anna and Kevin is at the heart of what we do,” Coleman said in the release. “Our role is to provide the education, resources, mentorship, and guidance entrepreneurs need to build sustainable, successful businesses.”
How CakeBelle reached the statewide competition
The husband-and-wife team worked with the CFCC Small Business Center as they developed CakeBelle, a product aimed at addressing common challenges associated with serving cakes.
The competition gives entrepreneurs an opportunity to present their businesses before a panel of judges while also introducing their products to a statewide audience.
Barrett and Roberts will pitch CakeBelle as part of the competition. Their presentation will be recorded and released for public voting beginning Sept. 1.
Public voting will count toward each competitor's final score.
Founders say community support helped build CakeBelle
For Barrett and Roberts, the competition offers an opportunity to showcase both the product and the support network that helped bring it to market.
“When we stand on that stage, it won’t just be CakeBelle,” Roberts said in the release. “We’ll be representing Cape Fear Community College, our mentors, our advisors, and everyone throughout the Cape Fear region who has believed in us and helped turn this dream into a reality.”
More information about the Cape Fear Community College Small Business Center is available at cfcc.edu.
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This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Wilmington startup creates unique cake-serving tool, competes for big prize
