Miks Kreations, North Shore Woods, and Do’s & Dye Salon each received $25,000 following a live pitch competition at Quinnipiac University
NORTH HAVEN, Conn. — The Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC) awarded a total of $75,000 to three Connecticut women-owned businesses during its second annual Catalyst Symposium, held Tuesday, September 22, at Quinnipiac University’s North Haven Campus.
Do’s & Dye Salon of West Hartford, Miks Kreations of West Haven, and North Shore Woods of Voluntown were selected as the winners of WBDC’s fifth pitch competition. Each business received $25,000 in grant funding to support its continued growth.
Hundreds of entrepreneurs, business leaders, community partners, and small-business advocates attended the symposium, reflecting overwhelming support for Connecticut’s women-owned businesses and the event’s continued growth in its second year. The half-day program brought attendees together to exchange ideas, build relationships, gain practical business knowledge, and celebrate the accomplishments of women entrepreneurs from across the state.
“The overwhelming support from Connecticut’s business community made this year’s Catalyst Symposium a powerful reminder of what is possible when we invest in women entrepreneurs,” said WBDC CEO Fran Pastore. “Catalyst is more than the name of this event — it represents the role each attendee, sponsor, mentor, and partner can play in helping a business move forward. That collective support creates opportunity, strengthens communities, and drives Connecticut’s economy.”
The three pitch competition winners are:
Miks Kreations | West Haven
Owner: Kim Williams
Miks Kreations is a boutique salon and hair loss center that combines cosmetology, trichology, nutrition, and personalized care to support clients’ hair, scalp, and overall wellness. The business offers customized treatments in a private, welcoming setting. Williams plans to use the funding to invest in equipment to expand services for the salon’s hair-loss clients and anticipates sales growth of nearly 30%.
North Shore Woods | Voluntown
Owner: Angela Chabot
North Shore Woods is a family-owned and operated retreat located along Beach Pond in Voluntown. The property offers year-round and seasonal cabin rentals, camping accommodations, private waterfront access, and outdoor recreational amenities. Chabot will use the Accelerate funds to purchase an additional tiny cabin for the lakeside retreat, which she expects to generate revenue 2.7 times the grant amount in just two years.
Do’s & Dye Salon | West Hartford
Owner: Julie McCary
Do’s & Dye is a welcoming salon specializing in personalized color services, bridal hair, and makeup. The salon emphasizes thoughtful consultation and a relaxed client experience designed to make each guest feel heard, comfortable, and confident. McCary plans to use the grant funding to establish a custom bridal suite, which she anticipates will nearly double her bridal revenue.
The winners were selected from six finalists, all of whom were recent recipients of WBDC grant funding. During the live competition, each finalist presented her business, plans for continued growth, and vision for how an additional investment could expand operations, increase capacity, reach new customers, or strengthen the business’s community impact.
Beyond the pitch competition, the Catalyst Symposium featured networking opportunities, a marketplace showcasing women-owned businesses in Connecticut, and a fireside chat with Tammy Gerhard and Sarah May of Silk City Coffee. Attendees also participated in business breakout sessions covering access to funding, sales growth, networking, financial management, business evaluation, productivity, and owner compensation.
About the Women’s Business Development Council
The Women’s Business Development Council’s (WBDC) mission is to support economic prosperity for women and strengthen communities through entrepreneurial and financial education services that create and grow sustainable jobs and businesses across Connecticut. WBDC educates, motivates, and empowers women to achieve economic independence and self-sufficiency. Since 1997, WBDC has educated and trained over 22,700 clients across all 169 towns in Connecticut — helping women launch, sustain, and scale over 17,000 businesses, create and maintain more than 42,890 jobs, and access over $90 million in capital. Since 2020, WBDC has provided more than $20.6 million in grants to help fuel growth in small businesses throughout Connecticut. Visit ctwbdc.org for more information.
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