July 26th 2023.
Mikáel Pyles, president and co-founder of QuikLiq, and his business partners have been working hard on their unique mobile app that provides customers with a way to purchase wine, beer, and liquor from Black-owned brands and independently operated stores. Their dedication has paid off, as the company recently won first place and a $15,000 business grant at the BLACK ENTERPRISE 2023 Disruptor Summit pitch competition, sponsored by Hyatt.
"We are grateful to Hyatt for sponsoring this pitch competition," said Pyles. "It promotes entrepreneurship, creativity, and hope for Black ownership, entrepreneurship, and innovation."
The competition took the form of video submissions leading to live competitions in front of judges for a financial prize plus mentoring sessions. This year, Hyatt provided business grants to three finalists selected from a pool of nearly 50 video entries. These finalists pitched live during the BE Disruptor Summit in Atlanta on June 3, hosted by Nationwide, at the Grand Hyatt Buckhead. QuikLiq's president and co-founder Mikáel Pyles and CEO Navarr Grevious took first place and were presented with the award by Black Enterprise President and CEO Earl "Butch" Graves Jr. and SVP and Executive Editor Alfred Edmond Jr.
Tyronne Stoudemire, senior vice president of Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Hyatt Corporation, said, "Black entrepreneurship is not only something we are passionate about at Hyatt – it’s something we are committed to supporting as part of Change Starts Here. We are thrilled to be a part of BLACK ENTERPRISE ’s pitch competition which is very much aligned with our vision for a more just and equitable Hyatt community."
The three finalists took to the main stage of the Buckhead Ballroom, where they each had 90 seconds to verbally pitch their business to an audience of hundreds of enthusiastic attendees. The first runner-up was Dr. Erica Gamble, founder of The Wig Doctor, which provides non-medical, non-surgical hair augmentation solutions. The second runner-up was Michael Fulton II, founder of Bizinc, a social connecting marketplace app. Both were awarded $10,000 and $5,000 respectively.
BLACK ENTERPRISE's Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Alfred Edmond Jr. introduced the competition and each finalist during the summit. He also provided several coaching sessions to the three finalists throughout the year. He said, “Hyatt provided business grants for the pitching entrepreneurs, as they are investing in businesses that are going to be successful. I recommend to every entrepreneur: you should be pitching as much as possible, everywhere you can, because it’s not just about the money; it’s about the relationships.”
QuikLiq's co-founders Pyles, Aaron Carter, and Grevious met while students at HBCU Clark Atlanta University. They saw a need for safe alcohol delivery services for social events, and developed a business plan from over a decade ago. It took time for select states to allow alcohol delivery, but now QuikLiq is active in two states, boasting 7,000 downloads and counting. Grevious is the CEO and Carter is the Chief Marketing Officer.
Pyles said, “We are the only platform of our kind dedicated to helping mom-and-pop liquor stores and minority-owned brands stay in business in today’s ever-evolving retail landscape. We can use our platform to increase visibility and accessibility of Black-owned brands.”
With the Hyatt business grant, the QuikLiq team plans to use it to "further fuel innovation in our technology" to make the platform more user-friendly and expand operations. They plan to expand throughout the southeast this year and are looking to head west by 2024.
Pyles grew up with copies of BLACK ENTERPRISE magazine on his parents’ coffee table. He said, “BLACK ENTERPRISE is lauded as the authority for Black excellence, entrepreneurship, and forward movement. To have the opportunity to pitch our business to such a huge platform is a watershed moment and life-changing experience.”
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