Articles

Heading into The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch Finale, our largest annual fundraiser and celebration, we set an ambitious fundraising goal of $1.2 million. We're thrilled to announce that with the tremendous support of our community, we surpassed this milestone, raising a record-breaking $1.3 million! This funding will play a critical role in expanding The Forum's reach and deploying programming that helps entrepreneurs overcome systemic barriers.

When Brianna Blaney and Aria Hahn found themselves on Brianna's couch in September 2020—drinking wine, eating pizza, and having the difficult conversation about shutting down their first software venture—they had no idea that this moment would spark an idea that would go on to help thousands of entrepreneurs secure over $200 million in funding.

Ahead of The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch Finale on April 25, we caught up with the 2024/25 Finalists to learn what motivated them to tackle the challenges they're addressing, how The Forum has impacted their businesses, what wisdom they've gained from mentors, what they hope audiences take away from their pitches.